There are some catches though. Depending on your body composition and training experience, you may or may not be able to build muscle while losing fat. And in this article, I’m going to help you understand why.

To get there, we need to start with some basic physiology related to how muscles grow and how fat cells shrink. So let’s get started.

Why Losing Fat and Gaining Muscle is Tricky

There’s a good reason why many people think building muscle and losing fat at the same time is a pipe dream. And it has to do with something called protein synthesis.

You see, every day, your muscles undergo “maintenance work” whereby damaged and degraded cells are eliminated and new cells are created to take their place. This process is known as protein biosynthesis or protein synthesis.

How Muscle Growth Works

When we train our muscles we damage the cells in the muscle fibers, and this signals the body to increase protein synthesis rates to repair the abnormally large amount of damaged cells.

Our bodies don’t want to just repair the muscle fibers to their previous states, however–they want to adapt to better deal with the stimulus that caused the damage. And to do this, they add cells to the muscle fibers, which makes them bigger and stronger.

Thus, what we think of as just “muscle growth” is actually the result of protein synthesis rates exceeding protein breakdown rates.

At the end of, let’s say, every 24-hour period, if your body synthesized more muscle proteins than it lost, you gained muscle. If it created fewer than you lost, you lost muscle. And if it created more or less the same amount as it lost, your total lean mass has stayed more or less the same.

Realize that if your goal is to gain muscle, everything you do in and out of the gym is to achieve one simple thing: more protein synthesis than degradation.

How Fat Loss Works

In order to lose fat, you need to give your body less energy (food) than it burns over time. This is known is creating a “calorie deficit,” and it’s the most important factor in weight loss.

That is, a calorie deficit causes changes in your hormone profile that make it more catabolic (a state wherein muscle breakdown is higher) and directly interferes with your body’s ability to create muscle proteins.

These are the two primary reasons why it’s generally true that you can’t build muscle while in a calorie deficit (losing fat).

Notice I said generally true, though, and not universally…

Who Can Burn Fat and Build Muscle Effectively and Who Can’t

You now know what your body is up against when you’re in a calorie deficit and why building muscle in a deficit is an uphill–and sometimes unwinnable–battle.

The good news, however, is that if you’re reading this article anxiously, you probably can build muscle and lose fat at the same time.

I say that because the people that can’t are experienced weightlifters that have several years of training under their belts and that have achieved a large portion of their genetic potential in terms of muscle growth.

And those guys and gals have usually learned the lessons of this article along the way and know that a traditional cutting, bulking, and maintenance approaches serve them best.

The main reason for this is as an advanced weightlifter, you have to fight tooth and nail for every pound of muscle you gain.

If you have 3 to 4+ years of proper weightlifting under your belt and have built your foundation of size and strength, the most muscle growth you can hope for (naturally) is about 5 pounds of muscle gain per year. And that’s men–women can expect about half of that.

Simply put, when your body is relatively untrained, it’s going to be hyper-responsive to resistance training. So much so that the reduction in protein synthesis rates caused by a calorie deficit just isn’t enough to stop muscle growth. Thus, muscle can be built while fat is lost.

Use this workout and flexible dieting program to lose up to 10 pounds of fat and build muscle in just 30 days…without starving yourself or living in the gym.

How to Build Muscle and Burn Fat at the Same Time

Just because your body can lose fat and build muscle simultaneously doesn’t mean it comes easily.

The first thing you should know is that even when you do it right, muscle growth while in a deficit is slower than muscle growth during a proper “bulk.” Protein synthesis rates are higher when you’re in a calorie surplus and this translates into more muscle gain over time.

I haven’t come across any studies worth citing for this, but I’ve worked with thousands of people and it would seem that potential muscle gain is halved by a calorie deficit.

That is, if you could gain 10 pounds of muscle in your first 12 weeks of weightlifting if you were in a mild calorie surplus, you could expect to gain about 5 pounds if you’re in a deficit.

So be patient. Wild claims on the Internet about losing double-digit amounts of body fat and gaining the same in muscle are lies. What you’re usually looking at is a combination of muscle memory, drugs, and Photoshopping.

So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at how to best go about the “body recomp.”

Maintain a Moderate Calorie Deficit

Building muscle is an energy-intensive process and the less energy that’s available, the less of a priority it will be for the body.

Thus, it’s very important that you don’t try to rush your diet by putting yourself in a large daily calorie deficit.

How large of a deficit is too large, though? What’s optimal?

Well, we can thank researchers at the University of Jyväskylä for an answer.

How large should your calorie deficit be?

In a study they conducted, they split their subjects–20 to 35 year-old national and international level track and field jumpers and sprinters with low levels of body fat (at or under 10%)–into two groups: a daily calorie deficit of 300 calories (about 12% below their total daily energy expenditure) and a daily calorie deficit of 750, with both groups following a high-protein diet.

After 4 weeks, the results were surprising: the athletes utilizing a 300-calorie deficit lost very little fat and muscle while the group utilizing a 750-calorie deficit lost, on average, about 4 pounds of fat and very little muscle.

Remember, however, that the 750-calorie deficit group was not starving themselves by any means–they were eating over 2,000 calories per day. Nevertheless, they were utilizing a pretty aggressive deficit of about 24% and the results speak for themselves.

These findings completely jive with my experience both with my body and the thousands of people I’ve worked with:

Mild calorie deficits can work if you’re very overweight, but as you get leaner, larger deficits become necessary and don’t automatically cause muscle loss. And this is why my standard calorie deficit recommendations for weight loss are between 20 and 25%.

How do you determine your calorie intake?

I give a very simple formula for weight loss in my books that results in about a 20 to 25% calorie deficit if you’re exercising 4-6 hours per week:

1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight, per day

1 gram of carbohydrate per pound of body weight, per day

0.2 grams of fat per pound of body weight, per day (increase to 0.25 if you have a fast metabolism)

So, once you have your daily numbers, the next step is to create a meal plan that you’re going to enjoy. Check out this article of mine to learn how.

Once you have your meal plan, stick to it every day, throw in a cheat meal once or twice per week, and you’re good to go.

You know you’ve got it right when you’re losing 0.5 to 2 pounds of fat per week (the heavier you are the more you can lose), you never feel starved or wracked by cravings, and you stay strong in your workouts.

Focus on Heavy Compound Weightlifting

The oft-repeated advice to focus on high-rep workouts to really “shred up” is idiotic.

Getting that coveted “shredded” look is only a matter of having sufficient muscle and getting your body fat low enough. One style of lifting will not make you look “more shredded” than another.

Compound exercises involve multiple major muscle groups and require the most whole-body strength and effort. Examples of compound exercises are the squat, deadlift, bench press, and military press.

Isolation exercises involve one muscle group and require significantly less whole-body strength and effort. Examples of isolation exercises are the biceps curl, cable flye, and side lateral raise.

The subject of compound versus isolation exercises deserves (and will get) its own article, but here’s the long story short:

If you want to build maximum muscle and strength, you want to focus on compound exercises in your workouts.

How heavy is “heavy”?

When you want to build muscle while losing fat, you want to train for muscle growth and diet for fat loss. That is, you want to do what works best for muscle growth in the gym and what works best for fat loss in the kitchen.

In terms of diet, that simply means a moderately aggressive calorie deficit. In terms of training, that means emphasizing heavy, compound weightlifting in your workouts.

Focus on heavy (4-6 or 5-8 rep range), compound movements like the squat, deadlift, bench press, and military press, and train with a moderate workout volume (9-12 heavy sets per workout).

The long story short is this: you can certainly build muscle training in higher rep ranges but if you want to maximize muscle growth over the long term, you want to emphasize lower-rep, heavier weightlifting.

Researchers had 10 men and 10 women train 3 times per week, with one group doing 4-6 30-second treadmill sprints (with 4-6 minutes of rest in between each), and the other group doing 30-60 minutes of steady-state cardio (running on the treadmill at the “magical fat loss zone” of 65% VO2 max).

The results: After 6 weeks of training, the subjects doing the intervals had lost more fat. Yes, 4-6 30-second sprints burns more fat than 60 minutes of incline treadmill walking.

HIIT preserves more muscle than steady-state cardio.

Reducing protein degradation rates is particularly important when you’re recomping because, as you know, your body isn’t able to synthesize proteins as effectively while in a calorie deficit.

Furthermore, research has shown that the longer your cardio sessions are, the more they impair strength and hypertrophy. Thus, the shorter your cardio sessions are, the less impact they have on your muscle cells, and that’s what HIIT cardio is all about–short, intense and effective workouts.

When I’m cutting, I personally do no more than 2 to 2.5 hours of HIIT cardio per week (and no more than 30 minutes per session).

Many people are shocked to learn that you can get down to 6 to 7% body fat (men) with only a couple hours of cardio per week, but there’s nothing special to it.

You maintain your calorie deficit and macronutrient balance to drive fat loss, you lift weights for 4 to 6 hours per week to burn energy and build/preserve muscle, and you use HIIT cardio to help keep the ball rolling…and you stay patient…and voila, you eventually reach your goal.

You don’t have to load creatine if you’re just starting with supplementation (you can just start with 5 grams per day), but loading does cause the creatine to accumulate faster in the muscles and thus causes the benefits to “kick in” faster.

As this effect is mainly a result of elevated insulin levels, the same effects can be achieved with less carbohydrates but protein as well. In fact, this study demonstrated that 50 grams of protein and carbohydrates was equally effective as 100 grams of carbohydrates in augmenting muscular creatine accumulation.

So, based on this research, you should take creatine with a good sized meal to maximize its effects.

Furthermore, there’s research that indicates that creatine taken after a workout is more effective than creatine taken before one, which is why I take my creatine with my post-workout meal consisting of about 50 grams of protein and 75 to 125 grams of carbs.

And for the same reasons it’s also no surprise that fat burners are some of the most expensive supplements on the shelves and feature some of the loudest marketing claims, often making big promises of “scientifically proven” rapid fat loss.

The reality is most “fat burners” are junk but there are a handful of natural, safe substances that have been scientifically proven to accelerate fat loss. Learn what does and doesn’t work here.

The Bottom Line on Building Muscle and Losing Fat at the Same Time

Building muscle and losing fat doesn’t require anything special. If you’re in a position to pull off a recomp, all it takes is smart, consistent application of the fundamentals of proper dieting and exercise.

To recap:

Maintain a moderately aggressive calorie deficit

Maintain a proper macronutrient balance

Do 4 to 6 hours of weightlifting per week and emphasize heavy, compound lifting

Do no more than 2 to 3 hours of HIIT cardio per week

Get plenty of sleep

Use the right supplements to speed up the process

And your body will take care of the rest.

What do you think about building muscle and losing fat? Have anything else to share? Let me know in the comments below!

How to get lean and build serious muscle and strength, faster than you ever thought possible…

If you want a "paint-by-numbers," step-by-step blueprint for building a muscular, lean, strong body...faster than you ever thought possible...then you want to check out my books.

You see, depending on how you eat, train, rest, and supplement, building muscle and losing fat can be incredibly simple or seemingly impossible. I've learned this the hard way, making every mistake you can imagine.

I've also learned a lot about what DOES work, and I wrote Bigger Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger to teach you EVERYTHING you need to know to build the body you've always wanted.

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I'm Mike and I'm the creator of Muscle for Life and Legion Athletics, and I believe that EVERYONE can achieve the body of their dreams.

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Great article Mike. I admire all the research you do that helps support these valid arguments. I often read blogs/articles that just state “facts” with no adequate research or discussion. Many of your articles have helped me a lot recently, Thanks much!

Michael Matthews

Thanks Kelcey! Really glad you like my work!

Quan Tung Duong

Wow, great article. I absolutely love HIIT cardio. It’s effective, time efficent and enjoyable.
But when should the HIIT be done for the best result? I have been doing it before weight training for a while(which I now know might have hindered my muscle growth).

Michael Matthews

Thanks! I’m all about HIIT as well.

I recommend you do it after your lifting, or separately. And cycling has been shown to have the least negative effects in terms of impairing muscle strength or growth.

Mariana

So, so true. It took me a while to figure out my diet. I lost fifteen pounds, and then just plateau-d. But once I got it down, it was great from there. I haven’t lost any weight in two months but my guns and quads are all bigger and much more defined but at the same time, I’ve gone down three pant sizes, a shirt size, and I’m stuck buying new bras (I love you, Mike, but all of that hurt me inside just a little, haha). Like you said in your article, STICK WITH IT. The mental and physical rewards are worth it.

nctjc

Just because you weigh the same, does not mean you are not making progress. You probably just replaced some fat, with muscle, which is good, as the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn.

Michael Matthews

Yup.

Michael Matthews

Yeah you’re kicking ass! Weight staying the same is actually a good sign when you’re doing a proper recomp. You’re losing fat and building muscle!

Keep up the good work!

Brendan

I absolutely love your books and tips. My question to you is since I’ve started weight lifting my body has responded better to more carbs rather than protein. Is it possible to follow the routine you propose in BLS, by using more carbs in lieu of protein?

Ah I see, so this is what you meant by recomp. I had almost no definition beforehand so I guess I had tons of catching up to do Lol. Really great article learning more all the time.

Michael Matthews

Haha thanks Jenny.

nctjc

About a year ago, I went from 265 to about 160, in five months. I never expected to lose that much, but it happened. I went from a 44 inch waist back to a 33 inch waist. I have gained some muscle since then, but I still have a long way to go to get in the kind of shape I want to be. I am currently about 186, and still struggling to lose that last 5 pounds around the middle. For a guy that just turned 59, though, I do all right.

Michael Matthews

Wow great job! That rocks. I would definitely recommend focusing on building muscle as this will drive your metabolism faster, which will make the weight loss easier.

Helen Hines

I’m sorry to sound doubtful but can you share your secret with me? How in the heck did you lose 105lbs in just 5 months? That is way too fast it doesn’t sound very healthy. Were you taking diet pills or something to make your weight loss expeditious?

Michael Matthews

Very low calorie dieting. Not the best way of going about it to be honest:

If that is the case I wonder how people can change so drastically from eating too much to not eating enough, without any extra help. But if it is possible through will power I think that is so awesome! I wish I had self control like that, to set your mind on something you want so badly that your almost obessed by it, which that isn’t a good thing either, but if it works thats all that would matter to me.

Michael Matthews

Check out the article I linked. Sure, you CAN do it but it’s not the best way of going about it.

Lee U

It really makes perfect sense, especially having experienced losing fat while building muscle. Looking forward now to bulking to build more muscle:) Thanks Mike for always for educating us with the real facts and research!

Michael Matthews

Yeah you’re the poster girl for this article!

Lee U

Wow thank so much Mike! Next year want to use me for your muscle bulking female specimen? lol

Michael Matthews

Haha let’s do it!

Pedro

Great article, but did not understand where is the difference between cutting and losign fat/building muscle in terms of calories and macros, if you say we have to eat at a 20% caloric deficit?

I think that in terms for losing fat/building muscle is better to eat at maintenace and lift heavy. What do yo think? What macros do we have to use not only for cut but build muscle too.

Michael Matthews

Thanks Pedro!

If you eat at a true maintenance level–if you give your body as much energy as it’s burning–you won’t experience any net fat loss.

To cause your body to end a day or week with less fat than it started that day/week, you have to feed it less energy than it burns. That just can’t be changed.

Holly Adams

I’m very new to this and have been doing excercise fasted including HIIT. I’m trying to recomp. I’ve incorporated 2 supplements that you recommend and they’ve been noticeably helpful. I’d like to add creatine. How would I do this? Thanks!

Cool on the creatine. Have 5 grams with your post-workout meal. Simple enough.

Holly Adams

Thanks Mike! Your books and articles have been a HUGE help

Michael Matthews

YW and thanks! I’m really glad!

Veronica

Hi Mike, I know all of this works for a fact because I’ve done this thanks to your book. My question now is iven been lifting for about 9 months and my muscle growth has slow down is this the point where I need to bulk since I’m a regular weight lifter. I’m currently in a calorie deficit.

Michael Matthews

Awesome Veronica! Really glad you’re doing well.

Yes your newbie gains will be about done now and diet becomes very important. If you want to focus on building muscle, I would recommend increasing to maintenance at least. If you’re okay with gaining some fat, you can put yourself in a caloric surplus to maximize growth.

Hope this helps! Lemme know how it goes!

Javier

Great article Mike! Your books and articles are very information. Unlike BS information on fitness magazines. I’m doing HIIT about 3x a week. What are your thoughts on steady fasted cardio? I don’t want to stop doing HIIT but thought of mixing it up.

Michael Matthews

Thanks Javier! Really glad you like my work.

Cool on the HIIT and fasted cardio is great. You can read about it here:

Great article. I have been using Gregg’s Kinobody muscle building program with great results. I am switching it up to get from 11%bf into the coveted single digit numbers. I am 184 currently. I am looking to just preserve the muscle in have and lose the fat to reach 7 or 8%bf. I am weight training 3 days and HIIT for 3 days in a 500 calorie deficit. First…. is 3 hours after eating a good time to do HIIT or does the time not matter? Also do you recommend taking bcaa? I am only taking creatine for a supplement. Second if I am only trying to preserve the muscle in have should I still lift heavy? Thanks for your time.

Michael Matthews

Thanks Scott! Great on your gains so far and your next goal. That’s very doable.

If you want to train fasted, 3 hours would be a minimum. 4-5 would be best. Yes, 10 grams of BCAAs or 5 grams leucine before any fasted training.

Creatine is good too. Have with your post-workout meal.

Yes lift heavy and push yourself to increase your strength. Many people are able to.

Hope this helps and let me know how it goes!

Scott

Thanks I will keep you updated!

Michael Matthews

YW and sounds good!

Motivated Guy

Another great comprehensive write-up. We can’t thank you enough. I followed your 40/40/20 advice and as I put it into practice, I tweaked it a little bit and unknowingly I arrived at a nutrition plan thats described in this article. I have been noticing differences and my strength never suffered when lifting. Just two questions: 1. I use lean mass for all my nutrition calcs, is that a correct approach? 2. I commute to work by bike and put in about 60 – 70 mi per week. I work in atleast 3x HIIT type commute between sections of the route where I consider it safe for me and pedestrians. Are there any reliable calculators you can suggest to figure out caloric expenditure? Thanks again. Have a great weekend.

Michael Matthews

Thanks! Really glad you liked it.

Awesome on the diet. Simple but it works.

Using lean mass to calc might result in too low of numbers depending on the multipliers you’re using. I always base formulas on body weight because it makes it simpler for people (they don’t have to try to figure out their body fat % and thus lean mass).

Hi Matthew
I just started cutting and was wondering if I need to keep track of the calories lost while doing cardio. I’m a little confused about how to handle that. I cut down my calorie intake to about 2200 cals per day. On days I do cardio (only once or twice for now because I usually lose weight pretty quickly) should I increase the calorie intake or still focus on those 2200? Thanks for your help!

Michael Matthews

If you’re using the formula from my book don’t add calories in for exercise–it assumes that you will be exercising 3-5x per week.

Hey Mike, I am so happy to find your website, I love the science behind fitness so intriguing! I am new to weightlifting going into my second week now (woot woot) I have calculated my macros needed and have been following them to a T and seeing progress, plan to change them after week 2, but some days I have gone over or under a few grams here and there b/w all 3… what is the safe zone to not go under or not over (im not trying to over indulge and think its ok bc im in my safe zone) but when is it safe to say YOU HIT YOUR MACROS? ps im purchasing your book thinner leaner stronger cant wait!

Michael Matthews

Thanks Teresa! I really appreciate the kind words.

Great job on starting! Glad to hear it.

Totally fine to go over or under a little. Generally speaking I try to stay within 100 calories of my target. 50 if I’m cutting.

Hope this helps! And lemme know what you think of TLS!

thomas

Great article but how many times a week should I lift and should I target different body groups for each session eg upper body and lower body. Just starting to get into this im about 90kg of fat wanna loose fat and replace it with muscle

Push-pull-legs splits often have you training your entire body 2-3x per week, but the workouts are lower in volume and intensity.

Both approaches work. I’ve always preferred a traditional routine because I like focusing on one major muscle group per workout as opposed to preforming big lifts like squats and bench presses in the same workout.

While losing fat, one shud do full body workouts or training one body part per day is better?

Manish Arya

While losing fat, one shud do full body workouts or single body part per day is better?

Michael Matthews

Neither have fat loss advantages over the other.

Mike Thompson

I recently went through this process of dropping fat and building muscle simultaneously – not impossible, but definitely have to get the nutrient timing down and the proper food ratios. Over 12 weeks I dropped 8% BF and added 8 lbs of lean muscle – using heavy lifting, compound moves, and HIIT. I used BCAAs for the first time ever as well and I really feel it made a difference while cutting. Every other time I’ve cut, I’ve dropped too much weight and lost my gains.
Good articles Mike!

Hi Michael, great post and great book (BLS). I’m 25 and just turned vegetarian (almost vegan) 3 months ago. I’m 180 pounds at about 24 – 25 % bodyfat (assuming from the pictures in your other article, I just purchased on amazon AccuMeasure and waiting for it!), but I’ve just lost more than 25 pounds since I turned veg!

From your book I know I should be cutting, but I recently started bulking before reading the book because I couldn’t lose anymore weight, I was stuck for a couple of weeks.

Judging from this article, I think I should do a body re-composition instead, or maybe go back directly to cutting, but I do want more muscles before cutting, even because my goal is about 15 % bodyfat, I don’t feel the need to be ripped like you man

So, after all this, can you please help an undecided man trying to get back in shape ? Should I bulk and worry about it in March/April, should I try re-comp or should I go back to cutting ? Thank you so much.

Ciao from Italy.

Michael Matthews

Thanks Nik!

Great job on the weight loss! That rocks.

You should definitely start cutting. 15% is good for the first milestone. Let’s do it!

Let me know what you think!

Nik

100 % cutting ? Don’t you think I would be able to do a body recomp and build some muscles while losing a little fat and go 100 % cutting in a couple of months? I do want to get a little more muscles, that’s why I ask. I don’t want to be 15% but with small muscles! So, should I do 1.5 gr of carbs per pound of BW or how much ? Sorry but I want to make sure I do the right thing!

Michael Matthews

Definitely a cut first. Don’t fall into the recomp trap. Check out this article of mine:

Michael, I weigh 175 pounds. According to your forumula I should eat 210g of protein a day. That doesn’t seem feasible.

Michael Matthews

Yup, that’s a good intake level for cutting.

Are you a vegetarian or vegan or?

Preston Ray

Mike, I’ve got to admit that I was a skeptic when I first read that you say to do only 5-8 reps per set, since I was obviously caught up in the whole 10-12 rep range “super hypertrophy” idea. But about a month ago I decided to just say screw it, since I wasn’t happy with my gains in the 2 months leading up to that point. I also started your diet, which at the time seemed like a mythical, somewhat impossible idea. However, in the past month I’ve gained about 5 pounds, my arms have gone from 16.2″ to 17″, and my body fat is slowly going down, making that weight gain seem all the more impressive to my own goals. Thanks a ton Mike, you’re definitely revolutionizing the natural weightlifting community. Also, as soon as I can afford it (college =/= extra money) I’m going to invest in your supplement line because hell, your result speak for themselves. No reason for me to buy equally priced shit on Amazon that’s sold by people who don’t have any solid evidence that it works.

I appreciate your support as well. We’re ready when you are. Would love to get your feedback on the supps.

Keep up the good work and keep me posted!

Jennifer

Hi Mike! I just came across your site yesterday and find it so helpful .. thank you! Question – how does one know if they are able to do body recomp or just go right for a cutting plan? I am not new to training at all. Have been training regularly for a year or so .. last year was training for a bodybuilding comp (bikini division). I got pretty lean then but did gain back body fat. So now .. I just want to be in the best shape ever .. and lose this body fat.

Jennifer

Michael Matthews

Thanks Jennifer!

If you want to get leaner, just cut. A real recomp is only possible for newbies. If you’re an experienced lifter, you’ll want to just focus on getting lean, and then staying there while you build muscle slowly.

Lemme know what you think!

Jennifer

Thanks .. that’s what I was thinking. Ok .. I’d like to get your Thinner, Leaner, Stronger book. I need help. lol

Michael Matthews

No worries. Yeah give it a read! I think you’ll really like it!

Jennifer

I did purchase the book. Actually 4 of your books. They come on tues. can’t wait ! Thanks

Hi Michael! Great articel but is it ok to workout 3x times a week with HIIT after every workout or should i workout 5x times a week
I´m going to try Max-ot program since it has the same concept as yours but with 3x times a week instead of 5x so it would look something like this:

Monday – Chest and Shoulders/Traps

Wednesday – Legs

Friday – Back and Arms & Abs

Whats your thoughts on it?

Michael Matthews

Thanks! 5x HIIT would be a bit much. I do 2-3 HIIT while maintaining/bulking and 3-4x when cutting.

Max OT is good in its principles, but I don’t like a lot of their workouts. They’re too low volume and the exercise choices are really weird sometimes.

Marc

Could you share a 3x times a week program while cutting?

Michael Matthews

Lifting or?

Marc

Yeah

Michael Matthews

Cool I’d recommend either a standard push-pull-legs or my 3-day program I give in Bigger Leaner Stronger.

Eddie

Mike,

I’m 171 pounds and 5’8. Been lifting for one year and a half now. I made quite some gains (I weighted 145 back then) but that gains came with a body fat of course. I used a lot of MassGainers and been steadily in low-rep lifting routine.

So now I’m in a crossroads. I know I can build more muscle but I don’t want my body fat anymore. Do I apply to this body recomp?

If not, for how long should I cut and bulk? And should I do HIIT while bulking?

Thanks for that, Mike – especially yje point on lean mass gained to pounds of fat lost

Michael Matthews

YW! Let me know how it goes!

John

Mike, in this article you say some people can cut fat and burn muscle at the same time. But in this article https://www.muscleforlife.com /the-best-way-to-gain-muscle-not-fat/ you say if you have more than 15% BF you should cut first and it’s not really possible to do both.

Michael Matthews

Sorry for the confusion. The bottom line is if you’re new to weightlifting, or to proper weightlifting, you can build muscle and lose fat at the same time. If you’re not, however, you just can’t. It’s really that simple.

John

Mike, my calories based on BMR (1680) and activity level (x1.35) comes to around 2270 – or 2000 on Sedentary days (x1.2). A 15% reduction would be approximately 1900 and 1700.

I haven’t got a car so have to walk at least 2 miles a day (over 200 calories). On gym days (3 times a week) this is another 2 miles (another 200 calories). How should I factor this into my programme? Do I need HIIT cardio? If so, I guess I’d be limiting to just 20 minutes or so (300 calories).

With my walking and HIIT would I be better off eating at maintenance and cutting not from diet but from my walking and HIIT?

Michael Matthews

Good question. Are you lifting as well?

John

Yes, I’m lifting as well. 3x a week

Michael Matthews

Okay cool let’s start you on 2200 per day with no HIIT cardio, just your walking. Let’s do about 1900 on your rest days. Let’s give it 7-10 days and see how your body responds.

John

I was begining to think that, Mike. I was doing ‘double cardio’ with my walking and HIIT – on top of calorie reduction. I’ll give it 7-10 days as you say – but perhaps after Christmas now

john

Actually, Mike I was doing 1900 (gym days) 1700 (rest days) – these based on 15% reduction. I was doing them with my walking AND HIIT(on gym days). Too much!

You say 2200 and 1900 with no HIIT – just my walking.

What about 1900 and 1700 without HIIT? My BMR is 1680. Sorry, if this is confusing!

Michael Matthews

Ah okay. Yeah 1,900/1,700 is a fine place to start. Ultimately we’ll just have to see how your body responds and adjust accordingly….

Michael Matthews

Okay cool, sounds good.

nazrin

Hi Michael, i would like to ask, does continuously intermittent fasting followed by workout in the AM, and break the fast in dinner time (including first sip of water) would cause fat loss plateau? I have been trying this way to shed off excess weight but it seems like every morning the scale doesnt show favourable number.
thank you

Michael Matthews

I don’t recommend doing this. Read my article on IF and then read more on Berkhan’s LeanGains method.

Ah okay. Are you looking for something to drink before a workout or throughout the day or?

John

Isn’t the “building muscle, losing fat at the same time” idea just really for people who are already quite lean? Lyle McDonald in his work suggests a calorific increase on training days together with calorific deficit on rest days. Over the week this pretty much balances out – so really only for people who are lean already.

No, it’s mainly for people that are new to weightlifting or proper weightlifting (emphasizing heavy, compound lifting).

Surplus/deficit dieting is for experienced weightlifters that want to slowly build muscle while staying lean (6-8%).

John

Mike, some fitness experts such as Lyle mcDonald and Tom Ventuto say you can only lose muscle and gain fat at the same time if you increase your calories on workout days and cut back on rest days. This more or less balances out to maintenance level (slightly below actually if you cut back 4 days a week and train the other 3).
You and others say you can increase muscle on a calorie deficit (for overweight newbies). I’m reading conflicting – and confusing messages.

Michael Matthews

People new to weightlifting, or to proper weightlifting, with a fair amount of fat to lose can absolutely build muscle and lose fat in a calorie deficit. I get emails from guys doing it every day.

That style of dieting works well for the maintenance of a well-developed physique, but I’ve yet to come across anyone with at least a few years of proper lifting under their bets that has used the surplus/deficit approach to lose fat and build muscle. Once your newbie gains are gone, you simply can’t do it anymore, regardless of how you eat and train.

moss

hi mike! what’s your take on walking (on an incline treadmill) interspersed with brief bursts of running. any good as a muscle-preserving, fat-loss cardio?

Michael Matthews

Sure if you want to use incline walking as your low-intensity intervals you can do that. But just incline walking burns too little calories to be worthwhile IMO.

Jaga

Have u heard about carb backloading ? What’s ur thought on that cause many have lose fat and gained muscle through that diet

Michael Matthews

Yeah I know about it and it doesn’t offer anything special. You can eat that way if you want, but it doesn’t unlock magical gains like some people claim.

amanda hodges

I have been following this for 8 weeks. Im a 34 year old mom of 2 kids ages 1 and 2. At 5’3″ I started at 141.1 pounds and after 8 weeks am 129.0. Actually LESS than when I first got pregnant. I have lots of energy and weight train 5-6 days per week along with 20 minutes HIIT cardio 2-5 days.
I am judging my progress visually and I cant believe my new muscle definition! Even my husband commented that my arms were “muscley” when I picked up our baby last week. I seriously cant wait for swimsuit season this year!!!!

Michael Matthews

Wow, great job Amanda! I love it! Shoot me an email–I’d love to feature you a success story on the website if you’re interested! Mike@muscleforlife.com.

And keep up the good work!

Dan

Mike, In your “Hardgainer’s Guide, you mentioned that during a proper bulk, you can gain .5-1.5 lbs of muscle per week. How many pounds of muscle can you gain per week during a body recomp, and How many pounds of fat can you lose per week during a body recomp as well?

Michael Matthews

I can only go off anecdotal evdience here (the people I’ve personally worked with), but someone with a fair amount of weight to lose and new to weightlifting should have no trouble losing 15-20 pounds of fat while gaining about 5 pounds of muscle. The newbie gains seem to end around here.

Dan

How many weeks/months does it take to reach the end of newbie gains and get the 15-20 lbs of fat loss & 5 lbs of muscle gains?

Johnny

I’d like to know this too. I could do with losing 12-15 pounds of fat. I’m not new to weight-training – but new to doing it right. I’m sceptical about making muscle gains. Do you know of studies which prove you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time?

Johnny

Mike, when I last was weighed – I was 173 pounds, 133 lean, 40 fat – BF %, 23%. If I lost 15 pounds of fat and gained 5 pounds of muscle my stats would be lean 138, fat 25, body fat 15%. Is that possible – and how long would it take?

Michael Matthews

Honestly I can’t say for sure if it’s possible for you or not, but I’ve seen guys do it. If you can, it will take somewhere around 4-5 months.

Michael Matthews

The only studies I’ve seen that showed this was possible were steroid studies, but I’m 100% positive it can be done without drugs because at this point I’ve emailed with scores of guys that have done it. Some even got DEXA scanned before starting the program and at the 6-8 month mark and the results were right there: reduction in fat mass, increase in lean mass.

Michael Matthews

Newbie gains seem to last around 6-8 months, and I’ve seen quite a few guys accomplish those numbers in that time.

The Swiss Miss

I’m a newbie, been weight training with TLS for about 2 months now. I’m 6ft tall, 44 yrs old, started at 78 kgs with about (I think) 29% body fat, if I’ve used my calipers right. Anyway, I’m now 80 kgs, but body fat is down to 26% and jeans are much loser! Target is 20 %. God only knows how much I will weigh then! For a girl, it is the freakiest experience I can tell you! Spent all my life trying to keep the scale numbers at a healthy weight, this, this really messes with my mind! Lol I’ve now stopped with the scales and use calipers and measuring tape instead. Far less traumatic! Lol

Michael Matthews

Great job on your gains! That rocks. You’re adding muscle and losing fat.

Lol yeah many women are really surprised to see their weight go up but measurements go down. I talk about it here:

Keep up the good work and keep me posted. Take pictures too! I’d love to feature you on the website once you reach your goal!

Farhan

Mike, I’m about 6’0 170 pounds and around 13-14% BF, my FFMI is around 20 give or take.

I dieted down from 185. I felt much better around 175, I wasn’t as fat as 180 but not as small as 170. I’ve lost pretty much all fat on this cut.

My goal is to pack on muscle while looking relatively good, not fat. Should I cut to 10% before bulking and stay in 10-13% range until I’m happy with my size, or just bulk now?

Michael Matthews

Cool on your stats and good job on the successful cut.

If I were you, I would continue down to the 10% range so you have a good “buffer” for fat gain while bulking. You can ride that up to 16% or so before having the cut down again…

What do you think?

Farhan

I agree with you. A cut gets psychologically draining after a while. But I think riding it out to 10% would make me much more excited about approaching bulking. Thanks for the encouragement!

Also, I’ve just found your site recently. Up until now, I had achieved my fat loss through carb cycling, almost no cardio, and a training routine where I do low reps (4-6) on one compound movement and then a bunch of exercises in the 8-12 range. I average 12-15 sets a body part, except for bis/tris, where I get closer to 9. I also only hit failure on the last set of each exercises. So if I’m doing 4-6, it’ll be 6,6,5 (failure). Even though this is working, should I just go ahead and switch up to your routine amidst my cut? Maybe I’ll even see some muscle gain? I was also thinking I can add in some HIIT to make up for the lower volume.

Michael Matthews

Yeah I know, cutting does get old after 4-5 weeks. But you’re close to 10%, so let’s just get you there.

Cool on what you’ve done so far, and I think you’ll like my routine more because higher rep work sucks when you’re cutting. It’s REALLY draining, as you’ve probably experienced.

Adding some HIIT would be a good idea too. Ideally you will lift 5x per week and do HIIT 3x per week for 20-25 min per session.

Farhan

So I got DEXA scanned today, and I’m actually 16.3% bodyfat at 171.1 pounds. I’m still going to cut down to 10%, is that a good idea? I hate being this skinny and just started creatine. I’m hoping the bloat can help my muscles look fuller.

I am not sure how to track my fat loss since my accumeasure chart said I was 12.7%. Should I just add 3.5% to the measurement from now on?

Michael Matthews

Cool I like it. Yes that’s a good idea. Hmm I think you’re just pinching wrong. It sounds like you’re not grabbing enough skin?

confused Joe

Hey Mike,
I’ll try to keep this simple. I’m 20 years old and 5′ 10″. 4 months ago I was 220lbs. After 3 months of being on the paleo diet, I dropped down to 190lbs, but hit a weight-loss plateau. I’ve been hitting the gym and lifting for a few weeks now. I’ve lost only one pound over 3 weeks but definitely see my body toning up. I still want to/have to lose about another 15-20lbs of fat. I’m eating at a calorie deficit (eating about 1700 calories a day) but making sure to get around 150g of protein a day. Even after reading your article, I still feel a little discouraged about losing fat and building muscle at the same time. I don’t want to focus only on weight loss only to end up awkwardly scrawny and I don’t want to build muscles at the cost of halting/reversing my fat loss.
What do you recommend I do from here? Continue working out, getting protein, and being on calorie deficit? Or should I focus on losing the rest of my fat before I work on building muscle? Thanks man!

Michael Matthews

Thanks for commenting Joe!

Great job on the weight loss. That rocks.

As you’re new to lifting, it’s possible that you can build muscle while continuing to lose fat. Minimally you can maintain your lean mass while losing fat.

I recommend you get to the 10% body fat range and then switch to a clean bulk where you can focus on building muscle:

You should also check out my Bigger Leaner Stronger program. You’re in a perfect place to really take advantage of it…

Johnny

Is it better to lose fat by a combination of calorie reduction and some cardio – or is diet alone sufficient? I ask as I don’t like cardio at all!!

Mike, you talk of HIIT and cite a study which centred on 4×30 second all-out sprints. This is what I understand by HIIT – half a minute or a minute full blast sprints. But you are recommending 20 minutes of HIIT. Isn’t this the ‘fat burning zone’ you reject? You can’t go all-out sprinting for 20 minutes. Ask Usain Bolt!

Regarding gaining muscle on a calorie deficit – that may be possible for the groups you say – but isn’t it more likely muscle mass could be retained rather than improved upon? Are you building people’s hopes up?

Michael Matthews

I find that calorie restriction alone can take you up to a certain point, but then you have to add cardio to keep losing fat.

Haha yeah you do 30-45 second sprints and then 45-60 second low-intensity intervals and repeat this for 20-25 minutes. Not 20-25 minutes of sprinting.

If someone is already fit and an experienced weightlifter, then yes maintaining mass is the goal. But if someone is overweight and new to weightlifting, or to proper weightlifting, it’s quite likely that they’ll build a little muscle while getting leaner. I think I make this point clear though…

Richard Rohloff

Hi Mike im 39 years old 6 foot 5 321 lbs. Im very overweight obviously. Ive begun dieting and working out. Im not counting carbs but my starches are whole wheat toast or oatmeal in am, some carbs after workout and maybe half a sweet potato at night. Otherwise im eating veggies, fruit, chicken, fish, nuts, some cheese, beef, protein shakes. Am I taking in too few carbs? Im lifting 4 days a week and cardio 3-4 days a week. Im tryimg to maximize fat loss while build/maintain muscle. My end goal is an in shape 240 with muscle. Thank you for any feedback

Michael Matthews

Hi!

Cool on what you’re doing. For your diet, check out this article of mine:

building muscle and dropping fat as we speak, slow process FOR SURE, alot of trial and errors..since building muscle is more of a goal then a drastic bodyfat drop at 177 my macros are 250 protein 225 carbs and 55 fat, i guess the intensity of my workouts/ hit puts me in a caloric deficit or maintenance cause my numbers are higher then yours

Michael Matthews

Awesome Jason I’m glad to hear you’re rolling. Your macros are fairly high but if you’re losing you’re losing. Keep up the good work.

This just opened my eyes like “woah!!!” I am already pretty skinny but I have fat around my belly. Not a lot. But enough. I started running for 30 minutes on the treadmill thinking that that would help me burn more fat so I could start building my abs. I felt like I had to burn the fat first so I could start to define my abdominal muscles. But you’re saying 4-6 30 second sprints combined with the ab/core exercises you list in another article are going to shape my abs/core faster?!

Michael Matthews

I think this is a repost? I replied to the other…

Tricon7

I have about 20 pounds to go before I get a flat stomach, but I also want to build muscle and get in better shape. I used to be more muscular than I am now (and fatter), and my muscles have atrophied somewhat. I’m in a calorie deficit now to eliminate my pot belly, and I’m also eating lots of protein to feed my muscles after my workouts. I’ve heard that as long as I’m in a deficit, I won’t build muscle. But I can look in the mirror and see better shape and larger muscles already, so I know something is working. How is this explained? Btw, I’m 49, 5’10” and about 190 lbs.

Michael Matthews

Great job on what you’re doing and you can definitely build muscle and lose fat simultaneously. I explain it in this article…

Brielle Wanderlust

This just opened my eyes like “woah!!!” I am already pretty skinny but I have fat around my belly. Not a lot. But enough. I started running for 30 minutes on the treadmill thinking that that would help me burn more fat so I could start building my abs. I felt like I had to burn the fat first so I could start to define my abdominal muscles. But you’re saying 4-6 30 second sprints combined with the ab/core exercises you list in another article are going to shape my abs/core faster?!

Michael Matthews

Haha thanks Brielle! Yes, HIIT + a proper diet + weightlifting is the guaranteed way to build an awesome core.

Fitnesskoala

I’m confused on the HIIT workout. 4-6 30 seconds sprints with 4-6 min of rest. Would I be walking or jogging during that 4-6 min in between?

Michael Matthews

Sorry for the confusion. You want to sprint for about 30 seconds and then rest for about 30 seconds, and repeat this. You don’t have to do 4-6 min of rest like the study. That’s more than necessary.

Mohamad Fakih

Hey Mike,

Thank You for this article, however I have a question. About a month ago I started hitting the gym again after stopping for about 3 years( I’m 19 now) the thing is I thought I’d benefit from the noob gains again , and instead of building muscle, I put on about 2 pounds of fat along with 1-2 pounds of muscle if not less and I was really devastated since I was left with some sort of a beer belly now. So my question is : if I follow your guideline, would I benefit from some muscle gain rather than simply maintaining them and losing a bit of fat? I’m currently at 160 lbs with about 17-18% of body fat. Thank You!

Michael Matthews

You’re welcome!

Hmm it sounds like you need to cut first. Let’s get you to the 10% range and then worry about focusing on muscle growth. You will build muscle while getting to 10% if you train and eat properly.

Hi Mike, I just joined the MFL gang and I am excited (still) to get back to a physique I am proud of. The belly fat blues have worked on my confidence and drive but I am still trying to move forward. The things you say are making sense and I look forward I’m currently 200 lbs with 25% body fat and I have a goal to have a flat stomach by summer and weigh in at about 185. Is that even realistic?

Michael Matthews

Thanks Lance! Cool on your stats and goal. That’s very doable.

Let me know how it goes!

Lance

Most defeated feeling ever. I just measured again after 4 weeks back in the gym. Chest got bigger by almost 2 inches. Waist stayed the same. Maybe the next 4 weeks will yield some better results.

Michael Matthews

Hmm are you looking leaner? How is your diet?

Lance

I look leaner in the chest and upper abs, but that spare tire area (which is where I take the measurement) has not changed an inch! My diet for the past 4 weeks has been made up of….
Chicken breast cooked in low sodium chicken broth and Mrs. Dash in a crock pot
Broccoli or asparagus (about 1/2 a cup)
4.5 oz of brown rice
Quest bars
Gold Standard protein shakes
1 cheat meal a week
Plain quaker oatmeal
Bananas
I’m getting about 17-190 grams of protein per day and I’m looking for ways to cut my sodium, I thought this was pretty good, but obviously something is wrong. During this next 4 weeks however I am going to do HIIT 3 times per week

Michael Matthews

Ah okay well leaner means you’re losing fat and the lower ab area is the last to lean out. I talk about why here:

Your food choices are good but are you following a proper meal plan? Have you worked out the numbers?

Lance

Therein lies the problem, I have no clue on working out the numbers I just averaged it out and I’m only taking in about 1900 calories per day. Which is why I am going to purchase the custom meal plan and a copy of bigger, leaner & stronger. I have no issues eating the same things daily, I have a burning desire to become and stay fit. I’m out of town on business this week but will place my order next week when I return and probably switch over to the legion line of supplements once I finish what I’m currently taking now. May as go all in right?

Michael Matthews

Oh okay well cool we’ll definitely take care of you. You’ll have no issues and I’m always here to help and advise if necessary.

Lance

I look forward to it, I’ll be posting here regularly especially as results start to show because if you can get me to my goals at age 40 as a working professional (50+ hours per week) anyone can be fit.

Michael Matthews

Great, sounds good. If you can exercise 3 – 6 hours per week and stick to a sensible meal plan, you can do great.

Lance

Sounds good, I’m looking forward to real progress and the ability to know and understand what I’m doing. I currently have between 6 and 10 hours per week avaiable to devote to training and with options available from the shredded chef I can switch my meals out weekly and follow the macros you instruct, I’m hoping your program proves to be successful.

Lance

It’s official, meal plan paid for, about to grab bigger leaner stronger and a fat caliper. Let’s see what muscleforlife can produce

Michael Matthews

Thanks Lance! Let’s do it!

Lance

Mike, when I attempted to download my copy of the shredded chef after purchasing my custom meal plan I got a 404 error and could not process the request. Just an FYI. Also, my scale, caliper and copy of bigger leaner stronger are in the mail! Looking forward to transformation

Michael Matthews

Arg sorry about that want to shoot me an email? I’ll get it figured out.

Lance

Is there a specific e mail address I should use? I’ve used the contact us tab already.

E-mail sent, do any of your articles explain the breakdown from calorie intake per day and how to break that down in to grams of protein etc? I used the formula one of your articles and found my TDEE and did the 20% defict and wound up at about 1,963 calories per day, but now I’m curious how to break that down in to grams of carbs, proteins and fats

Michael Matthews

Great I replied. I forgot what it was in reference to so I’ll resend now.

I completely agree that it is possible to lose fat and ‘regain’ muscle/strength at the same time. I fall into the category of having been both bigger and stronger in the past. I have successfully managed to lose fat and gain strength and muscle on two occasions. Both times I lost about 9-10kg and gained strength on all of my compound exercises. Diet-wise I just stopped eating junk food, fizzy drinks, and alcohol, reduced my calorie intake each day to about 20% below maintenance intake levels and made sure I had adequate protein. I also used creatine daily during the entire time. I started both times at about 95kg and after 12 weeks I was 87.5kg. Compound exercises are definitely the way to go.

Michael Matthews

Awesome, thanks for sharing! Keep up the good work!

Nick

Hey i am a 15 year old (just turned 2 months ago) Male I am about 5’8 and i weigh 106kg. Since i am younger will this work better or worse for me. just wondering because im desperate to lose weight and have some muscle

Michael Matthews

Hey Nick! You’re in a great age to start lifting weights, but I wouldn’t recommend restriction calories as it can interfere with the development of your body.

Instead, I would recommend you start lifting weights 3-5x per week and doing cardio 3-4x per week and just eat normally, including protein with each meal, and your body will respond really well.

Wes

Any recommendations for HIIT for someone with bad knees? Sprinting causes a lot of pain and swelling for me. Is there anything else I could do?

Hi Mike, is it possible to substitute the HIIT cardio for a jiu jitsu fighting session?

Michael Matthews

Sure!

Lance

Another question…..I am getting used to squatting again but my body doesn’t seem to like going past parallel with heavier weight. Would going to box squats with heavy weight work until I can get more comfortable with full squats? Or should I just do full squats with lower weight and increase weight slowly?

Michael Matthews

You don’t have to do full squats but I would recommend getting a little below parallel. Just lower the weights. Box squats are really only using for breaking through plateaus. They’re not good for regular training.

Lance

Thanks, I’ll dial down the weight and increase as my comfort levels grow

Michael Matthews

Perfect let me know how it goes.

Lance

Been a few days since my last post. The squatting is going well, I’m getting past parallel with more weight than I had anticipated and will look to add more as soon as I hit 6 working reps. I also received my copy of BLS, my scale and my caliper in the mail. I do have a question though, now that I have a far more accurate way to measure my body fat, do I need to purchase another meal plan for my cut? Or will the current plan apply until I get down in to that 10% – 15% range? Also, since you do so well at replying to everything (quite amazing actually) I have to believe there’s an issue with your “Contac us” tab which I have used twice with no response, but whenever I post here you reply within a day or 2……just an FYI

Michael Matthews

Awesome that’s great! No body fat percentage doesn’t affect TDEE much so that’s okay. We can always adjust based on how your body responds too.

My pleasure and which contact us tab are you referring to exactly?

Lance

The one under the “My services” tab at the bottom.

Michael Matthews

Oh wow I didn’t now there was one in there. I’ll see where those emails are going.

Roach

Great article. I am undergoing the body recomposition right now, 5 weeks ago started with 78 kgs now down to 73, I see more definition and also my strength has gone up in the gym. Initially went on a drastic calorie cut but saw your video about metabolism crashing, so went right back to 500 deficit zone. Doing cardio post lifting and results are good so far. Hopefully I shall drop to 10% before I can trigger a slow clean bulk.

My only question to you is about HIIT v. Moderate cardio – The debate confuses me, personally I love HIIT but people like Kris gethin and even Greg Plitt argue that HIIT on a deficit might lead to muscle loss.
Also right now my HIIT is like Sprinting at 11 mph for 30 seconds, 2 mins low intensity (superset low intensity cycling) and repeat for 5 times.

Hello! I just stumbled upon this article last night and ended up buying your book, bigger stronger leaner as well. I’m 5’7″, and at the end of October I weighed around 180 something pounds with probably 23 or 24% body fat. From then to January, I lost over 30 lbs, but my results seem to have stagnated there. I’m currently 148 and at 14% body fat. (I was doing P90x). I’ve resigned myself to the fact that fat loss is still my primary goal as I’m trying to get to 10% while building as much muscle as I can. Once I get that low, I’ll bulk to add some more muscle. Do you recommend your cutting diet plan (protein 1.2 x body weight, carbs 1 x body weight, and fat .2 x body weight) for me to get to that mark while lifting 3-4 times a week and doing cardio 4-5 times a week? Thanks!

Aaron

Or do you think I’d be better served to start trying to add more muscle first before trying to lose that last 5-7 lbs of body fat?

Cool on your progress so far! That’s great. You’re in a great place to start my program.

Yeah I think you should get to the 10% range first and you’ll probably build some muscle at the same time, so you can’t lose.

What do you think?

Katrina O. Simon

Hi..im confused about Hiit training..its like intense interval training right? Im nrw to weight loss..started doing high intensity interval training in the trradmill by December..I know it works..because I lose some inches..although few pounds..I want to lose weight..im a lady 23yrs old..started working out october..I never workout in my entire life even any sports..I joined the gym..my starting weight was 137pounds with 31~32% body fat..currently im 125pounds..my scale shows I have 27 % body fat. But its not always accurate..anyway I do 15mins power walk..3.0incline but interval..just to wake my body up in the morning..then I added 30~35mins speed running interval in a 1.0incline..I divide it in 6sections..5mins each..1minute walk fast..2mins running 6.2 speed..then 1min jogging 5.0speed so I can catch up my breath a little bit but at the same time my heart beat is elevated..and 1minute 3.0slow walk to recover..is that a hiit training.?????? I sweat so much.I can breath heavily..I do weightlifting in the night time..I do basic lunges, squats, chest press, shoulder press, row, 60sec plank, side plank.. sit ups and bicycles and oh before I can do girly push ups bow I can do full push ups 15~20xthose
are my basic. I can tell I build muscle quickly in my biceps..calves and rear legs due to running and squat,lunges..and my calves is tight too

Katrina O. Simon

Pls help me…my friends always tell me not to lift heavy weight..I started lifting 2.5dumbells..to 5pounds but its not challenging anymore so I lift 10pounds each I can do 12~16reps..it made me little bit leaner and less jiggly. But I dont want big arms..it runs in my family having big arms..just wanna tone it

Quick question…when you advise the protein, carb, fat breakdown above do you mean, for example, 1.2 grams per pound of body weight of a protein source (like tuna or chicken as a whole) or do you mean only adding up the actual grams of protein within one serving of tuna or chicken? For instance, this can of tuna I’m about to eat, when drained, contains 4oz of fish which weighs 112 grams. Yet, of that 112 grams of tuna, only 20 grams are actually listed as protein on the label. So, I’d have to eat 10 cans of tuna today to get to my 200 grams of protein if we are doing the latter. Thanks!!

Michael Matthews

All protein added up together. You can get it from all kinds of sources of course.

Lance

Update…..so it’s been about 3 or 4 weeks now since I changed my method of working out from the staple 3 sets of 10-12 over to the progressive overload way of training and I have to say I am very pleased! 3 weeks ago I posted about not having lost any inches from my waist, but in that 3 weeks I received BLS, my fat caliper and food scale and I measured again and in the last 3 weeks (not even following the full plan yet mind you) I’m down an inch and 1/2 in my waist and my body fat has dropped from 25% to 23.2% (Is losing 2% body fat in 3 weeks good?). I am now even more motivated to finish BLS and go full bore with my meal plan. So thanks again Mike!

I’m actually going to take some this weekend prior to going all in on the diet. The results are coming quicker than I anticipated. I was working with 60lb DBs on the flat 2 weeks ago (3 sets of 10-12) and last night I did 80s for 5 and then 4 on my last set. The strength gains are coming faster than the loss of body fat but I am guessing that they will start becoming more noticeable as well

Michael Matthews

Perfect! Love the gains. That rocks.

Lance

Quick question Mike, on my meal plan my dinner lists 3 meats I choose from but they are not associated to any of the TSC recipes. I was wondering if it mattered how I prepared it or not (not deep fried obviously)? Could I still prep in a slow cooker with chicken broth and some veggies? Thanks

Michael Matthews

Yup so long as you’re not using additional oil you’re fine. You can use a cooking spray for instance.

Jason Weakley

I am new to all this, and for the month of March I am committing to starting to change my lifestyle – I will be 31 and want to get into better shape and stay there. What I would like to know is how to build a 30-40 minute workout. I’d like to know more about exactly what each exercise “move” means, how to do them, etc. I would love to see more videos on YouTube if possible with lots of “How To” information. Thanks for everything so far!

Thanks for the article, Mike. I reduced my weight a great deal – now my trousers are loose – but the problem is, now I look like a matchstick, too thin. This is because I haven’t gained muscle while losing fat. If I eat more/lift heavy to gain muscle, wouldn’t I again risk adding fat? My whole purpose of dieting was to reduce the fat in my midsection – if I eat more now to gain muscle, wouldn’t the whole purpose be wasted? I am frustrated as to what to do………

This is where I’m at right now. The problem was my caloric deficit was too much. I needed at least 2.3kcal per day but based on my estimations I only ate 1.6-1.7kcal per day. Not good. Trying this and increased my calories by 300-400. Hope I see muscle growth

Michael Matthews

Cool man well let me know how it goes!

Ahmad Khan

which foods should you eat for this to work if you’re overweight? Also, which foods should be avoided?

Is the grams of carbs, fat and protein slightly less or the same for women?

Michael Matthews

Same for women.

Lisa Riley

Great article, I’ve been doing steady state cardio forever so I’m going to switch to HIIT and will now check my carb, protein and fat intake each day. When I receive your book in the next couple of days I’ll have lots more info to help me. I’ve also ordered some callipers to check my percentage body fat, as altho I’m 120 pounds I can pinch an inch on my belly and I want it gone!

Michael Matthews

Thanks Lisa! Let me know how it goes! And we can get rid of the belly fat!

Lance

A quick update and a few questions. Down to 192lbs and I am grinding out more reps at current weights with the exception of my deads which I have increased by 40lbs in 2 weeks. My body fat is holding at 23% but I look bigger in the chest, shoulders and arms so I’m thinking that will start to drop soon as well seeing as this is my 1st true week on my meal plan. My question(s)…you reference water in BLS and how bottled isn’t the best option, but filtered, are you saying that I’m better off filtering tap water than buying aquafina? With no training partner I am not upping my weight until I can handle 6 reps, is that too passive? Lastly (for now) is rowing an effective HIIT method? As always, thanks Mike
Lance

Michael Matthews

Great on your gains! Definitely keep me posted.

Really depends on what kind of filter you use. IMO pick up a decent reverse osmosis filter and you’ll be golden.

Once you can hit 6 reps on one set with good form you’re ready to move up.

Yes rowing is good for HIIT.

Lance

Another update….down to 189 (1 lb per week) and 21% body fat, but the exciting thing is that the spare tire is finally starting to shrink! not a 6 pack (4 flexed), not quite flat…..but progress is evident. Broke throught the 200lb plateau on my flat bench as well. Also got some great advice on dinner variations from Nico (thanks again). Almost achieved my short goal of reaching the teens in bodyfat so I’m truly starting to think that 13%-15% by summer is more than doable. Only thing I am waiting on is the quad pack so I can start on the legion line. As strange as this may sound I’m looking forward to going in to the calorie surplus in the fall to see what I look like next summer already…….results are addictive.
Thanks Mike,
Lance

Michael Matthews

Awesome! Congrats!

Keep up the good work. Legion will be fully back soon!

Yup bulking is fun after cutting and maintaining for a bit and cutting is fun after bulking for a bit. Works nicely.

Enriq

Hello Michael. When you calculate your calories and use 1.2 ,1.3 ,1.5 factors to multiply BMR, what do that factors include? Lifestyle+gym+cardio, lifestyle+gym or only lifestyle(work, car driving, eating)? Is the 1.5 factor the maximum recomended for no pro people who workout 45min-1h and 30min cardio 6 days week? Also, what is included in that -20% caloric def? I ask you this because I’m afraid in losing muscle mass even if I’m doing all as you say, but i’ve lost about 3.3lbs this week having a 1.5factor 1900kcal deficit diet. However, other weeks I don’t arrive lose even 1lb. Is really as that easy to lose muscle if all is perfect done (10gBCAA’s before fasting, correct amount of cals, protein, carbs, fats) or is it OK since probably the most part is coming from fat even exceeding those 2lb/week? Have you one time exceeded those 2lb/week?

Not sure what’s going on with your weight. Sounds like water fluctuations though. You do lose faster in the beginning as total body water and glycogen levels go down.

John

Over the past 3 months, I’ve lost 12 pounds of weight – which is good. A steady pound a week. Unfortunately 4 pound of that is ‘lean’. Is that muscle? Water? My waist has shrunk 2 inches in that time. It looks like my arms are more muscley but that could be less fat making them appear bigger.
I train 3 times a week – 3 hours. Using Katch-Mcadle my BMR is 1640 but you say add 1.2 whch gives total of 1948. Knocking off 20% gives 1574 calories. Actually I’m doing about 1700 – just above BMR. If you are an a calorie deficit do you need HIIT as well?
Finally, there’s no concrete studies showing you can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time…I’m thinking am I wasting my time if I’m losing muscle?

Michael Matthews

That’s great. As you lose water it registers a loss of lean mass. Ignore that.

The big indicator is STRENGTH. If your strength is steady, you’re not losing muscle.

You could do about a 1.35 multiplier which would put your deficit cals around 1700, so that’s good.

Hope this helps! Talk soon!

John

So should I ignore these body fat % measurements? Just focus on toatl weight, waist circumferance and basically if it looks like I’ve gained muscle? I’m lifting heavier weights. By the way, what weight should I be lifting? Basically I’m doing about 50 kilos for bench, deadlifts and squats. This is 20 kilos for the bar and 30 kilos of weight. Is that too light?

Michael Matthews

Well body fat % is good but lean mass readings are going to be “incorrect” in that losing WATER isn’t losing MUSCLE FIBERS.

Work in the 4-6 rep range. Whatever weight that lets you push…

john

I’ve been doing 10-12 reps. From what you say here, it should be 4-6 reps. Obviously if I do fewer reps I can increase the weight.

Michael Matthews

Yes, focus on the heavy compound lifting and you will see better results.

Enriq

Thank you Michael! Your article is perfectly explained. However, I continue losing more than 2lb week but I don’t feel hungry. I’m very afraid in losing so much muscle. This week I lost 3.7lbs,1.85 from fat and 1.9 from lean. Are those 1.9lb really from muscle? Should I worry about this big wieght loses according to muscle loss even if I’m having 10gBCAA’s before fasting and the perfect amount of protein/day? Do you had weeks where you have experimented bigger losses than 2lb? I should pass a hard time when losing this big amounts of weight when arriving to be lean, but I’m feeling OK. Should I continue like this or I’m sacrifying lot of muscle?

Thank you for your answers! You told me that standard multipliers for calculating TDEE are too high. Why or how do you knew that? I ask you because I searched in internet and all sources uses the same multipliers, everybody. I haven’t found anything saying the same as you and there are a lot of articles according to TDEE calculation using the standard multipliers. Could you help me in this please? Thank you!!

Michael Matthews

My pleasure! It’s just a known thing in the bodybuilding world. The KM standard multipliers are too high unless you have a VERY fast metabolism.

Enriq

Thank you for your answer! Great! So you say I should stay in 1900, but if I’m losing 3,5lbs week (more than the 2lbs recommended), shouldn’t I increase cals or decrease my workouts? or is it sometimes OK to lose as much as 3,5lbs because maybe there is water retention and is not all muscle? I don’t know if I’m doing well. I could continue losing weight, but very afraid since I don’t know when muscle loss is minimal and when is very high.

Michael Matthews

YW. If that sustained for several weeks yes but it probably won’t…

Enriq

Thank you Michael! So knowing I do 1h gym 4-5xweek and 30min HIIT 3-4xweek and 3 days 25-30min LISS but only to take a bit of fresh air, do you think 1.5 is OK? I’m afraid of burning either too much or not sufficent. And last thing. When fasted cardio, how much estimated % of kcals are coming from fat as fuel? Is it the 100%-90% since there is very low levels of glycogen in muscles are protected with BCAA? I ask this since the graphs I’ve seen according fuel used depending in VO2%max. Carbs are very used in high intensity, but if there are no carbs since a long time, is that energy going to be replaced by fat? Thank you very much!!!

Michael Matthews

I would cut that cardio back to be honest. I would get rid of the LISS. Lifting 5 x per week and 3 – 4 x HIIT is plenty.

Hard to say, but it’s more.

Keith

Hi Mike , i’m a 25 year old 6 ft tall guy of large frame , i used to be 90 kgs along with lifting weights and bit of cardio , lately due to work stress and lack of time i’ve put on weight , now i weigh about 110 Kgs , and i’m struggling for cardio as my legs ache alot , whereas lifting wieghts is not a problem .. So i’m really in a phase where i want to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time , your article was helpful

Michael Matthews

Hey! I’m glad you liked the article! Hmm what about biking? No impact?

ffarz

Hey Michael, awesome article! It was really helpful especially for a beginner lifter like myself. What’s your take on metabolic resistance training?

Michael Matthews

Thanks! I don’t know what that is…

Gentleman Gym

Come on Mike – for someone who prides himself on good research (and that’s the thing I love most about your stuff, by the way), you can do better than that! Here’s the top Google result on metabolic resistance training:

Essentially, it looks like a strategy of using weights for cardio-style training….

Michael Matthews

Haha if you saw my inbox every day you’d understand why I have to move through everything quickly.

Anyway, this type of training is silly. You’re better off lifting heavy and doing cardio separately.

Gentleman Gym

True – and apologies for sounding critical; the fact that you take the time to answer all this correspondence is awesome – good on you. I’m really enjoying reading your writing, and learning from it – thanks for all the hard work you put into it.

As I currently have a shoulder injury I am only interested in gaining muscle on my legs. Do legs respond well when eating in a calorie deficit, more so than any other muscle group? I’ve read that the leg muscle group is the easiest to make gains in.

Michael Matthews

Good question. That’s possible as it’s the largest muscle group, but generally speaking all protein synthesis is impaired.

Janerrific

Will using BCAAs help me recomp. Just started lifting three weeks ago and eating 20% deficit.

Michael Matthews

No, not really. But they will help you if you’re training fasted.

Demitri castillo

I’m 22 weigh 190 with 30% body fat and 43% muscle. I need help with my meal plans. My daily macros are 190 grams of protein, 70 grams of fat, and 203 grams of carbs. For a total of 2202 calories. I’m trying to lose at least 15 % body fat and put on as much lean muscle as possible.HELP PLEASE thanks

I’ve used just about every tracker and calculator in the book to track my daily burn which obviously varies day to day but averages out to about 3200 calories per day. That would put me at about a 1200 calorie deficit which is about a 37% deficit. I’m thinking that I need to bump up my caloric intake to about 2500 per day to be around the 20% caloric deficit you recommend. What would you recommend that I change my grams per pound of body weight factors to?

If I go to 1.5g/lb for protein, 1.1g/lb of carbs, and .4g/lb of fat that should get me to right around 2500 calories per day which would be about a 20% caloric deficit. Does these numbers seen reasonable to you? Can you offer any insights as to why the g/lb of fat is so low and the g/lb of carbs are so high (relatively speaking) in your recommendations?

Thanks!
Devin

Michael Matthews

Most calculators are just too high. The standard Katch multipliers almost always have to be reduced except for those that have VERY fast metabolisms.

I’d recommend starting around 2100 per day and seeing how your body responds.

Hope this helps! Talk soon!

NateCruz

When you say to do (9-12) heavy sets per work out what do you mean by that?

Michael Matthews

I mean you warm up the major muscle group being trained and then do 9 – 12 sets in the 4 – 6 rep range.

NateCruz

Thank you

Michael Matthews

YW

NateCruz

Pls reply thanks

NateCruz

Is it for example, do 6 reps 9 times?

Michael Matthews

Can you elaborate?

Dennis Fallo

Interesting article, but HIIT is not for everyone….their physical abilities may not permit the “norm” that others do…..but there are other ways to lose fat and gain muscle. Maybe an article on that approach would be interesting!

Michael Matthews

Very true! LISS is fine too.

Athithiya Raj

Hi , my body is not so large , but my weight is 75 kg , what should i do to reduce my body , especially lower body

Hi Mike,
For the cardio interval training, does it still work if you go at a jogging pace (4.5 speed on mainstream treadmills) then rest and do it again? Or do those intervals have to be as quick as 30 second to a minute intervals?

Michael Matthews

No, you need to spike your heart rate during the high-intensity intervals. Ideally it reaches the 80-90% of max range.

Adam

One thing that annoys me of late is junk science and the tendency to use that to support a invalid argument… Tested on small groups that don’t represent a good mix of the general population and done on a short term basis. Or using citations which gives no conclusive evidence to support the efficacy of the group the argument is being presented to. ie studies done on the elderly population being used to give credit to the argument where the target audience is the 18-30yo population. So leaving one to actually have to go and evaluate the credit of the citations to determine if the author is yet another ‘guru’ and if the evidence presented is actually valid to them.

Michael Matthews

Very true!

Tee

Thanks Michael, love how u broke down all the steps to make it manageable n easy for us joes, will give it a shot n see how it goes

Michael Matthews

YW! Let me know!

Syamantak

Excellent article. I followed your suggestion of performing HIIT and restricting reps to around 8 and it worked like magic. i was able to reduce my body fat by 2% and increase my lean mass by 1% over a month. Thanks for the suggestion.

Michael Matthews

Thanks! Great job! That’s exciting.

FVB

Great article, quite insightful. I am starting tomorrow.

Michael Matthews

Thanks! Let me know how it goes!

Mike

Mike,
I am coming off rotator cuff surgery last summer and I was let back in the gym in January, the problem Im having is building up strength again along with losing weight. I am 6′ 195 right now I should weight around 180ish. I dont know if you are familar with coming off injury and training but do you have any tips especially since this type of injury essentially affects all my upper body exercises.

My insurance cut off the rehab last October but thats a different agenda entirely. The therapist just said keep working at it at home then you can go back in the gym at the turn of the new year so that is what I have done, I didnt know if you were familar with routines coming off injury and how to quicker go about gaining strength and muscle back. Thanks for the response, I will keep reading your stuff because I think you have a lot of great info on here which will really be able to help me as I progress.

Michael Matthews

Oh okay. Honestly it’s not an area where I have enough experience to advise comfortably… I would hate to advise something that caused a problem.

marsa

Hi Mike,

1. Have u ever written any articles about forbidden exercises, in body building, for people suffering lumbar disc herniation or knee pain? or could u introduce some web site about it?

2. are there any ways for women to stop their breasts from getting smaller,as they are exercising them? THANKS A LOT

Michael Matthews

1. No, I haven’t. I would have to do more research to do this as rehab isn’t my specialty.

2. Losing fat means smaller boobs for most girls. But building muscle perks them up some.

Leslie

I would like to loose fat ( I’m currently at around 23% body fat) but not loose weight I only weigh125 and I’m 5 foot 5. Will this work for me and how do I figure out calories based on the 1.2 grams of protein per pound etc… also I do currently lift(about 5 times a week) but need to add in an extra day of cardio I’m trying to shoot for atleast twice a week

Michael Matthews

You’ll lose weight if you lose fat but you can probably build a little muscle along the way by weightlifting as well…

marsa

Hi Mike,
I want u to help one of my friends , please.she is 28 year old girl.she is 161 c.m and weighs 86.she’s been doing different exercises (aerobic,badminton, zumba, but body building)for 5 years. she does exercises 3 times a day. her muscles are firm and loosing fat is hard for her.what does she do?(sorry for errors in my sentences, I’ll try to improve my speaking), thanks for every thing.

I lost fat and gained muscle doing hiit, and eating normal with no fast food or restaurants. I included photo results. I only lost 5 pounds but, I dropped 49 1/2 inches from all over in 30 days. without using ANY supplements at all or starving myself. I personally don’t have the self control to starve myself. as you can see though I’m still working on my body transformation.

Michael Matthews

Great job! That rocks!

Laura

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

frametheory

Thats Awesome!

Helen Hines

I think you look great and doing a fantastic job doing it the right way. You may have lost only 5 lbs but you did that in a month not 3 months so that tells me your on the right track losing at a healthy rate of 1-1.5 lbs a week. Keep going but no matter what you do just dont ever stop until you reach your goal!!!

Binat Ch

Want to know what u did mean which Hiit program and any other detail that u share

Cowboy Prince

Still fat!

TommyJ

How to build muscle as fast as humanly possible…That’s what we all want to know.Most of us don’t have the genetics of an NFL running back or pro bodybuilder.So it’s not all your fault.I was mixed-up until I got this plan,see my review of it:>bestfitnessandmusclebuilding(dot)com/ms2<

Fastestguy

Thanks for sharing.I know you want to look your best, want to be lean, muscular and sexy, especially during the Summer months.I’ve already managed to pack on 22lbs of pure muscle since starting this program,see my review of it:>bestfitnessandmusclebuilding(dot)c.o.m/14fl< Best wishes.

Francesca

Awesome article, very helpful when I am trying to set my macros!

Michael Matthews

Thanks!

http://www.dmcworks.com/ Devin Columbus

Mike, here’s something I’ve never asked…

I now weigh 195 lbs. If I calculate my caloric intake based on 195, I get my macros for that weight.

As I start to lose weight, should I be recalculating my caloric intake? Or just stick to the numbers that I calculated when I was 195 lbs?

At what point so I recalculate my calories and macros… If at all?

Michael Matthews

You’ll have to drop cals along the way. It seems to be about every 15 pounds lost requires a 100 – 150 daily reduction. General rule of thumb, but you can just see how your body responds.

Hi I’m Anna.
I am 25 years old. 45 kg and 5’4 height. I would like to know if it is possible to get my body muscle lean and not losing and gaining weight?
What exercise machine should i use to get my body lean?

Michael Matthews

It’s possible yes. You can lose fat and build muscle and thus offset any weight change. But you’ll just have to see how your body responds.

Hi Mike, thanks for a great article. I’ve experienced that a slight calorie deficit alongside lifting heavy is the way to lose body fat. To become leaner with more focus on losing fat and gaining muscle as a bonus, whats the weight, rep and set range you suggest? Thanks.

Michael Matthews

Thanks! Yup, that’s the way to go.

Focus on heavy lifting–4-6 rep range and save any high-rep stuff for the end of the workouts.

Dan

Mike, bro whatsup?
Listen, I have this question which is very important to me and had been on my mind for quite a while: When doing the HIIT sessions, what would you eat before AND after a work out? (in terms of carbs, proteins and veggi’s)

Michael Matthews

Hey!

Just some protein before is fine. After is up to you. No particular NEED.

Macbeth28

Hey
Mike, thank you for all of your most excellent work! I need you to confirm, clarify or otherwise
debunk some of my thinking on this stuff.
1) You say that to effectively gain muscle and lose fat that you should
follow a plan that puts you in a moderate calorie deficit, but I think I’ve
read in your other articles that you can’t gain muscle while at a deficit. With that in mind, couldn’t one accomplish this
task by changing their macro ratios (i.e. upping the protein and reducing the
fat) but using a moderate calorie surplus? At certain times of the day or by certain
methods, can’t you encourage the body to preferentially target your fat instead
of muscle tissue? 2) When my wife and I
use the fat calipers, we both get the same reading, but my chart calculates
that out at 15% BF, while hers charts out at 23%. We both have roughly the same appearance in
terms of lean-ness- so does she really have 8% more body fat than me? Why is that?
3) You mention that mostly only newbies can do the fat loss/muscle gain thing
simultaneously. At what point should a
person stop considering themselves a newbie?
4) I’m only a handful of months into a muscle-building routine and
things are coming along nicely (gaining muscle with small amount of fat), but I
have an event coming up in a month or so that I’d like to look really good for. Is it worth taking the next few weeks to
focus on cutting so that I lean up by a point or two, or is that timeframe to
small to make any kind of noticeable difference?

Michael Matthews

Thanks!

1. Yes, normally you can’t but newbie gains are fun.

No, you can’t hack the laws of energy balance. It is what it is.

2. Yes, women have quite a bit more fat. Boobs, butt, hips, etc.

3. 6-8 months of proper training.

4. Nice. Yeah sure. Go low-carb for a few weeks to shed as much water and fat as possible:

My approach to fitness is to eradicate aspects of your physique that are unattractive. At the moment I have some belly fat covering my abs I would say roughly i’m about 14% body fat. But I also have skinny legs. Do you think the best approach is get down to 10% bf first and then build legs? Thanks. Doing both at the same time seems pretty tricky.

Michael Matthews

I’m the same way. If your legs are neglected they’ll probably grow while you’re cutting. Hit them hard.

Greg S.

Mike – with respect to HIIT Cardio: I read in a separate article that you recommend the bike for HIIT Training. I am not a huge fan of the bike, and my gym only has one standard upright bike, the rest are of the lounge chair variety. I do, however, love the Concept 2 (C2) row machine, and have been using that as a mini HIIT training/warm-up before all of my lifting sessions. I do a 2 min constant row followed by 8 minutes of 30 sec at full blast with 90 sec rest intervals. what are your thoughts on the C2 row machine as a tool for HIIT, and do you think that the 10 min prior to my lifting sessions is adding value? I do not do any other major cardio work throughout the week.
thanks,
GS

Michael Matthews

Row machines are great for HIIT cardio. Keep it up.

I wouldn’t do it before lifting. Save that energy for the weights. Do it after.

Travis

Great article Mike, it gave me a lot of insight on the body recomp process. I was curious as to why creatine as a supplement and not whey protein and if I should solely use creatine during a recoup program. Thank you again for the great information.

Michael Matthews

Thanks man!

Shane

Hi Mike, I’ve been following BLS for about 5 weeks and inhaling all your books lol so loving it I’ve been doing BLS about 6 weeks and seeing loss in fat and gain in muscle. I know I will keep doing this until the 8 month mark when I’ll stop making the ‘newbie gains’. I’m not new to training but did a lot of boxing in the past and lifted weights once a week before (funnily enough I did 6 reps, 3 sets although spent way too long training)!

My question is, what do I do in 6 months time? Cutting? Bulking? Is there something between cutting and bulking or will bulking only make me put on muscle but at a greater rate? Should I expect to build more muscle when bulking compared to cutting? Sorry if this is covered in BLS – just about to read through a second time! Also ordered the 1 year challenge book so looking forward to changing up my routine? Thanks man

Michael Matthews

Haha thanks man! Glad to hear you’re doing well.

It’s hard to say. We’ll have to see where your body is at and where you want to go. Most guys need to focus on building muscle for their first 1 to 1.5 years before they’re actually happy with their size.

Yes you will build more muscle when bulking.

Keep up the good work and keep me posted!

Oh and I’d love to feature you in a before and after success story if you’re interested! It’s a simple matter of taking/digging up before pictures, reaching your goal, and then taking after pictures and sending them over to me. What do you think?

Alex

Hi Mike,
In some of your articles you say to use the bmr calculator to determine the 20% calorie deficit, and here you say to use the 1.2g protein per pond of body weight etc. I get very different numbers when using the two different ways to calculate it. Which do you think is more accurate? Thanks,

Alex

Michael Matthews

The formula here will be within 100 calories of the more involved methods…

Amit kumar Chatterjee

hello sir, i’m a 22yrs old, 5’11”, 90kg. with body fat of 29%. i have started weight training for last 2 mnths in gym. i train for 2 hrs 6days a week. started seeing little change already abt muscle gain but not with body fat %. i follow calorie deficit. but i really hate cardio. i don’t do them. is there any other way to loose fat with weight training like say some kind of modification in it????? plz help. thnx a lot in advance…

Michael Matthews

Wow that’s a lot of training. You don’t need to be exercising that much.

For your training, I’d highly recommend you check out my Bigger Leaner Stronger program. You’ll spend half the time in the gym and get much better results…

Daniel

Hi Mike,
i bulked for more than a year and i gained nice muscle i’d say.But now i’m 17 bf trying to cut down, i dropped 3kgs for now from 75 to 72, but my bf stays the same.daily protein are around 150~180 fats 50 and carbs 100-120.my trainer gave me a program of 1 set 100 reps, but it doesn’t seem to work.I’m motivated but i am really frustrated aswell i feel skinny and also fat but i know i gained good muscle since i started workingout.What do you suggest me to do?i did a test and i found out i got 56kgs of muscle out of 72kgs of bodyweight not sure if it’s good or not.
I would really appreciate your advice.
thanks,
Daniel

hi mike, i have tried a couple of programs like this and this looks like a great program! i want to try this one and see how my body responds to it. how many times should i work a body part? and is it post-workout HiiT or off-day Hiit? thanks a lot!

Mike, I’m living in frustration! In the past year I have lost about 35lbs from 355 down to 320. I’ve mixed some HIIT training classes twice a week with some normal lifting and cardio. My issue is I’ve been stuck at the same weight for nearly 6 months. I float up and down 5lbs or so. Been trying to eat well also. My question is how do you get in that much protein without putting back on weight at my size. I’m also scared to death to get on creatine to put on mass? I’m stuck in the mud and can’t break free!

Hello mike on (US navy calculator i am 26% body fat, & on YMCA am 20% and according to your pictures an am not an expert i think i am 35% to 40% i am confused, i lost 44 pounds on a very moderate and healthy diet so i know it pure body fat simply cause on that diet i eat on average about 70 grams of fat a day, 200 of carbs, and a 100 of protein

Adham Fareed

Hello mike on (US navy calculator i am 26% body fat, & on YMCA am 20% and according to your pictures and am not an expert i think i am 35% to 40% i am confused !!?, i lost 44 pounds in 100 days on a very moderate and healthy diet so i am hoping it was pure body fat, on that diet i eat on average about 70 grams of fat a day, 200 of carbs, and a 100 of protein, can u tell from my pic what’s my body fat percentage am 34 years of age, height 75 inches, waist 42.5 inches, neck 17 inches, just a week ago i started to do about 1.5 hours to 2.5 of bicycling a week.

Michael Matthews

Great job on your progress so far but your picture didn’t go through.

Adham Fareed

thank you for your reply, something must have went wrong, although i can see the picture there, but anyways what do u think of my situation cause i measure myself the right way, according to my measures what do u think my body fat percentage is ?

Hi Mike, are the calculations for working out your macros done on ‘lean’ bodyweight or ‘actual’ bodyweight? It would make a big difference to someone like me who is around 1-1/2 stone overweight. I would assume ‘lean’ as it would seem wrong to feed bodyfat with extra protein, carbs and calories etc.
Thanks,

Michael Matthews

Good question. The numbers here aren’t ideal for those who are very overweight.

Hey Mike, I have some questions I’d like to ask you, if you can help me out by giving me your best pointer, I’d would really appreciate it! 1.) Why do I hear this all the time from the experts, they say that if you don’t eat enough, your body will go into starvation mode and will store fat instead of burning it? I don’t believe that because the less I eat the more I lose. My body doesn’t store fat, I don’t think, because I’m getting smaller in size. 2.) Can you over consume water? I drink only water all day, anywhere from 12-14 glasses every single day and I don’t drink any other beverages, just water. 3.) I wish I had my nutrition down like I do with my water intake but unfortunately I don’t. I can’t seem to control 100% in staying away from junk food. Almost every single day I will eat some kind of junk food, for instance, a lunch size bag of chips or couple cookies but not over indulge on it but I do eat a few daily. Even though I do this, can I still lose weight, if rest of my meals are healthy and I hit the gym doing mostly hard cardio 4 days a week anywhere from 45-60 minutes and weight train with a trainer 1 day weekly? 4.) How many reps and sets should I be doing when working on weights on my own at the gym, what is the ideal amount? Thank you in advance for all your helpful advice! ;))

mike, I just ordered one of your books after reading the No-BS to supplements. My question: how do you feel about chitosin and carb blockers incorporated into days where I personally have just cheated way too much in a day? Looking forward to following all your articles.

Was wondering if you could possibly advise me if I should proceed with a “calorie deficit” diet.

Brief History: At 2009 I was 57kg @ 183 cm, so naturally my aim was to put on weight. And thus commenced weight training and eating healthy (most importantly more than usual).

At present I am 87kg by religiously following a daily calorie aim of 3050 (5 meals composed of brown rice, chicken breast, steamed vegetables), whilst weight training at gym 5 days a week (no cardio). This calorie/ meal plan commenced November 2013 when I was 77kg. I felt this calorie aim assisted in my gain but fear any less and I shall lose what I have gained.

Happy with the gain, but I do admit I notice a tummy forming, and can deduce that my body fat is around 20%. Naturally I would have reduced the calorie, but I am due to commence cardio training for a 15km run held in early August. The training would follow soon after my weight training, where 3 days will be 5km runs and 2 will be a “push comes to shove / run till 15km” runs. This is going to go till the early August run. I figure this would be an ideal opportunity to do your HIIT along with it as well.

I guess I am requesting options to maintain at 87kg and reduce body fat %. Would you still recommend me to reduce my calorie intake as I am about to commence cardio training? I have done this run previously and remember losing muscle along with fat with it so presuming I should raise my calorie this time or at least maintain it? Or Calorie deficit is the viable option?

After reading that article I can perhaps conclude that I am an “experienced natural weighlifter who made considerable gains” and thus will not be able to build muscle and lose fat at the same time, if that sounds about right? My obvious aim is to maintain (gain if possible) muscle and lose fat.

So I thought about 2 areas which I hope you can advise me on:
1) Calorie Aim
2) Type of Gym workout

1) Using your TDEE calculation: At 87kg @ 20% BF, exercising 5 hrs / wk + 10% for bulking gave me 2880. However with my cardio training hrs added (taking it to 6hrs+/wk), I got 3080.
This is exactly what I am consuming at present and for the last 6 months, based on the 3050 I got from iifym for agressive bulking – what contributed my gains this year so far.

So I guess my question is should I still continue what I am eating right now (3050 per day), as opposed to cutting down and going the “calorie deficit” track as I dont want to lose muscle and about to commence a 4 week cardio training?

2) My gym workout during this calorie count was muscle strength and growth, where I do a normal 3 set 10 rep of mid-heavy weight per exercise. When I commence my 4 week cardio training where I am going to add running to follow my gym session, I was going to replace the 3 set 10 rep with 1 set 50 rep of low weight (half of the original weight) – I could be wrong but I thought this would assist in “shredding”. I note that you advised “train to maximise strength & muscle growth, not muscle endurance”. Taking this into account I am assuming the 1 set 50 rep would be a very bad approach and will actually cause me to lose muscle whilst I am also doing cardio running?

So my conclusions for my 4 week training (adding 0.5-1hr of cardio running after weight training):
1) Continue my current calorie count of 3050 (which is close to your 3080 set at 10% for bulking)
2) Continue 3 set 10 rep of heavy weights rather than 1 set 50 rep of low weights (which would be a case of muscle endurance?)
Would like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks!

Al

Also what speed would you recommend for sprinting on the treadmill?

Cheers

Michael Matthews

As fast as you can go.

Michael Matthews

YW!

If you want to lose fat you’ll need to reduce intake. You can start around 2500 cals per day, 40/40/20.

I’d recommend heavy lifting when you cut. Even heavier than what you were doing before:

Hi Mike!
I’m a 15 year old girl and after I’ve been dieting for the last 6 months I now weigh 106 pounds. I am about 163 cm. The things is I don’t want to loose more weight, I want to gain weight in muscles and end up with a body fat percentage on at least 16 %. Now I understand that I have to cut 500 calories a day. This means that I have to eat about 1,320 calories a day, 127,2 g protein, 106 g carbs and 21,2 g fat a day. I just want to hear if you think these numbers sound right and if you think I should keep dieting this way?
(Great book btw)

Michael Matthews

Great job! That rocks. I wouldn’t recommend restricting your calories at your age. It’s very important that you eat enough for overall development and growth.

Instead, eat around your total daily expenditure and use the exercise to build muscle and your metabolism. It’s much healthier this way.

I’m a 21 year old guy; I am 5’9″ and weigh about 138. I have been dieting and exercising to lose fat for about a year now, and this is where I’m at. I have been lifting weights too. I have more fat that I want to lose, especially in the lower back and lower abs areas. But I want to build a lot more muscle, too. I know you say to focus on fat loss until you’re at about 10% body fat, and I’m not exactly sure what my bf% is. I can see abs in the mirror, but not completely cut. I can see the “6 pack” in the mirror, but they are not very defined because I still have body fat to lose. What percentage body fat would you guess I am around? And should I be eating and exercising to lose fat right now (because I want to get rid of the love handles and lower abs fat), or should I be eating and exercising to build muscle right now? If you could give me your input that would be great, thank you! And thanks so much for this awesome website.

Just wanted to post a pic to get your opinion on whether or not I should start eating for bulking…I ordered the calipers you recommended for measuring body fat percentage, but they won’t be here for a little while. What would you estimate mine to be at? I think I almost have a fear of gaining fat since I have spent the last year losing a lot of weight and fat. I will trust your opinion though. Thanks so much again for these great articles.

Alex

Just wanted to post a pic to get your opinion on whether or not I should start eating for bulking…I ordered the calipers you recommended for measuring body fat percentage, but they won’t be here for a little while. What would you estimate mine to be at? I think I almost have a fear of gaining fat since I have spent the last year losing a lot of weight and fat. I will trust your opinion though. Thanks so much again for these great articles.

Michael Matthews

Looking good! Yeah you’re in a PERFECT place to start bulking. Here’s why:

Im about 71 kg and have body fat percentage of around 15% based on the fact you cant see my abs, Ive been working out for a few months now and have seen some small results but really want to know if you think I should cut first down to around 10% and then start to clean bulk my way back up , or should I keep bulking to build the muscle and then cut it down to a lower percentage ?

I have a question about creatine. My boyfriend tells me not to take it cause I probably won’t enjoy the water bloating that comes with it. Is this true? Is the bloating really that obvious? I want to do all I can to make my gains but I feel like I would get discouraged if I went around feeling like a balloon.

Thanks!

-Sarah.

Michael Matthews

Most people don’t have water retention issues with creatine anymore. Forms of processing are better now.

I think you should definitely try it. It will make a big difference in your training.

Annie

This is my first time stumbling upon your site and I’m glad I found it! You’re amazing for putting the effort and research into building this website to educate and help others work towards their fitness goals. Thanks for everything and keep it up! As for my fitness goals, I’m 21, 4’10”, at 95 lbs and am considered “skinny-fat.” I’ve been consistently lifting heavy and eating well for about 2 months, but still haven’t seen any fat loss. I was wondering, how many calories should I be eating a day? Based on your formula, i should eat 114 g of P, 95 g of C, and 19 g of F, for a total of 1007 calories/day. This seems like way too little though, even for someone small like me…what do you think? Thanks in advance!

Michael Matthews

Thanks Annie! I really appreciate it.

For weight loss yes that would be it. You’re a small girl and your body doesn’t burn much energy. You could drop 10 carbs and add 5 g fat but that’s about it.

Ok, I have a question! I’m a woman, about 5’2″, 130lbs & about 26% body fat. I’ve been training at a facility for about 2 1/2 months, and have lost inches & dropped my body fat percentage, but am not losing weight. I am a wellness coach myself for diet (gluten free, high raw, paleo type stuff) and really am trying to eat extra well- high protein, low(er) high quality fats. But I’m not dropping WEIGHT. My question is….will I? Or would someone my weight simply exchange fat for muscle, as far as the scale is concerned? I’m used to using that as a progress marker, but i’ve never done weight training before, or even played sports for that matter. I have never known what I weigh with good muscle!

Michael Matthews

Yes you definitely will at some point. The first thing I would check is your intake numbers:

hi mike got some problem here
I’m on my 2nd week of cutting 20% deficeit. I still make gains on all my exercises but compared to last week my DL was lighter by 40 lbs. Am I losing too much strength here? should I increase my calories by adding carbs?
or maybe this is normal, that I should work to increase my DL again?

Michael Matthews

Hmm it sounds like that was just a bad series of sets? It’s unlikely that you would make gains on everything else you know?

jack

thanks mike I haven’t thought of that. Will try again next week harder. one follow up mike. I read somwhere that when cutting a little amount of muscle is actually lost even when done right. it also says that during your 1st week the LBM lost is actually water weight. your thoughts and is there research about this?

On my case mike for how many weeks will I lose “water weight” ? How will I know that its actually muscle not water weight?

I just turned 50. 5’9′ about 215 Yikes. I also have low T for about a yr now. I read/saw something you wrote about it. Can I go about my work out using Bigger, leaner, faster? How do I start slowly?

Michael Matthews

Yes you can definitely get on the program and start with lighter weightlifting. 8 to 10 or even 10 to 12 reps to get a good feel for everything.

Have you ever lifted before?

Chris

So I’ve got a bit if a man boob issue, have my entire life, and I’m determined to do away with it. I’m not particularly overweight otherwise, tough I could definitely stand to lose a few on my bellyI’d say losing them is more of a priority, for now anyway, than building muscle, but at the same time I don’t want to lose muscle either. Is this the kind of program I should focus on, or go for something more specifically designed for weight loss exclusively?

I have finally kicked myself and bought your book. It’s my 6th week on this strict diet. One of the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it is starting to pay off :)) still a long way to go, but hey lost 5kgs and 2 friends ( due to my mood swings ) :))) kidding. I am a qualified PT myself but your book is great and it has made a huge difference. So a big thank you!! and a sneaky pic of how I am getting on

Michael Matthews

Wow great job you’re looking awesome! Keep up the good work and keep me posted!

Hey Mike, reading your weight lifting recommendations I assume your not a fan of focussing on time under tension for muscle gains. When some people say, “muscles don’t know what weight your lifting, they only understand tension”, what do they mean? Are they asserting that lifting more weight does not necessarily increase tension within the muscle as you have written?

Michael Matthews

TUT is really overrated. I’ll write an article about it.

http://instagram.com/ajchanter Alma-Jade

Hello Mike! I’ve been following your work for a while now and have the Thinner Leaner Stronger book (it is like my training bible haha, and the book I always come back to again and again! :D).

I was just wondering if you could shed some light on the recommendation for men to stick in the 6-8rep range and women in the 8-10? Is there a specific reason for the women’s rep range to be slightly higher? In the Shredded Summer ebook (which is fantastic btw! I have one suggestion: to make the links to vids, external pages ect, open up into a separate tabs as I kept loosing where I am in the ebook every time I wanted to open a link :D) you recommend 6-8reps but I think maybe it was aimed more at guys?

Basically, all that to say that I am a female who loves to lift heavy, and am wondering if I should focus on a 6-8rep range or 8-10rep range! (to get progressively stronger and leaner (I am following the rest of the TLS program… HIIT, ect :))

Thank you again for ALLLL your amazing work and down-to-earth, sane approach to health and fitness, I sure do appreciate it!!! I do a happy dance every time I receive an email/new article from you haha! You are awesome!
AJ

Michael Matthews

Thanks for the support!

The reason why I recommend 8-10 reps for women is simply because the majority I’ve worked with were already quite intimidated by the weight necessary to work in the 8-10 rep range. The 4-6 rep range was REALLY uncomfortable for them (generally speaking).

The reality is 4-6 reps does work fine for women, but they can do great with the 8-10 rep range as well. There’s also the issue of overtraining to consider–women’s bodies can’t repair nearly as much muscular damage as guys’.

So, if you’d like to work in some 4-6 training, I recommend doing no more than 3 sets in the 4-6 rep range, and using it on the following exercises:

Squats

Military Press

Bench Press

Deadlift

Hope this helps! Talk soon! And thanks for the kind words!

http://instagram.com/ajchanter Alma-Jade

Hello again!

Thanks so much for your response, super helpful!

Okay, that makes a lot of sense, and whats good is the exercises you proposed are the ones I love going heavy with less reps on anyway haha! I’ll keep in mind the issue of overtraining when doing 4-6 or 6-8 rep ranges, thanks!

So I’ve OFFICIALLY started the Thinner Leaner Stronger program as outlined in the book last week, as before I was more integrating some ideas into a more typical bodybuilding program (training 6 days a week split: sprint&abs; back/arms; chest/shoulders/abs; legs heavy; back/bis/abs; shoulders/tris/calves with 1 rest day) but I hit a plateau with strength and fat loss and just feeling super fatigued and unmotivated. I think training each muscle group 2x per week got a bit too much, and I also re-calculated my calorie needs using your method in the book, and realised it should be 1’550 instead of 1’800 that I got online (I’m 56kg female, 1m70 and around 18-19% bf). Aha! (although also an “oh nooo” lol less calories;))

And since last week, I have already upped all of my weights and feeling much stronger and less fatigued!! It just feels weird to train only 1 muscle group a day haha will have to adjust!

So I’m looking forward to update you when I make serious progress and sending you a testimonial!

I just have a few questions if that’s alright!:

1) Along side studying, I work 3-5 days doing bike delivery. I mention this (not randomly ;P haha) because I was wondering – should I raise my calories a bit on days I do bike delivery? We use ELECTRIC bikes, so I’m not sure how much of a workout it is haha, but it does keep me active all day (and lifting heavy bags, ect – which I am conscious to do with proper form thanks to weight lifting! ;P) and I’m always quite tired by the end of the day. So it’s not strenuous activity, just more exhausting. And if so, by how much should I raise my cals?

2) In the TLS book, the workout plan laid out states to do abs just on the Chest day – so do I only train them 1x a week? I tend like to do things between sets, so would it be alright to do ab exercises (like hanging leg raises ect) (or jumping around or something!) as active rest between some sets on other days too? I just don’t like sitting still for 1-2 mins between sets! ;P

3) What do you think about a short term more strict calorie restriction for an event or something? I have my birthday coming up in 3 weeks, and I would like to look my best hehe ;P So I was planning for the next 3 weeks to cut to 1’200 cals a day 6 days a week, with 1 day at 1’800 (for metabolism and compliance haha) (averaging 1’286 cals/day). I realise 2 weeks is hardly no time at all and I’m not expecting a radical transformation or anything, but could this potentially make a beneficial difference (keeping training the same – TLS style :)? (then I would “reverse diet” back to 1’500)

4) I am looking to compete (in figure or bikini category), and I’m giving myself 9 months as prep (want to do it healthy and slowly!) and aim to get to 8-12% bf (whatever I look best at). I know (well, I think!) you haven’t competed, but as you are in competition shape, it’s kind of the same thing ;P To get to that low bodyfat/conditioning, do you recommend following the TLS exactly and just keep progressing or should I add more HIIT (5 days a week for ex) or something//any tips/adjustments to getting to competition shape? :))))

5) Ah man, sorry just thought of another question! I remember you saying somewhere that when dieting that you don’t tend to get hungry and it is more like the volume of food that you “miss” or whatever, and I have exactly the same thing! I don’t get hungry – EVER! – but I just have a tendency to want to eat a larger volume of food haha – but if I pick a higher density food I can easily overeat on my cals, and also I just don’t like feeling stuffed when I try and fill the void with lots of veggies. Do you have any tips to keep this at bay/in check/be satiated with less volume?

Sorry this got quite long and hope I was clear enough with my questions!, and thanks in advance for responding when you have time, it is super appreciated! Week 2 of full TLS program starts today wopeeeeee!!!

AJ

Michael Matthews

Great on starting! Let me know how the heavy lifting goes for you.

1. Yeah let’s see what we need to do with your numbers as you’re very active. This will help:

5. That’s great you don’t deal with hunger either. Makes it easy. You could eat fewer meals per day and make them larger? You might like that.

Hope this helps! Talk soon!

Andrea

This article is extremely helpful! However, I have a question about the calories I should be eating in order to lose fat and still build muscle. I am only 4’10” and currently weigh 118 lbs. I want to lose weight and fat while gaining muscle. According to the formulas that you listed above, I should only be eating about 1260 calories. This just seems kinda low to me. Also, in your book you mention that for every 15 lbs lost, that you should cut your intake by 200 calories. However, I heard that going below 1200 calories greatly slows down your metabolism. Would it be ok for me to go below 1200 calories because I am so short? I am wondering because I want to get down to around 100-105 lbs, which is what I used to weigh in high school when I was playing competitive soccer, running, and lifting weights twice a week. I’d appreciate any help!

Thanks for all this encouraging information. I think I have been following exactly what you describe as the right exercise routing. However, on the intake side, I follow a very different diet. I tried calculating my numbers based on your nutritional guideline- 1.2 g prot/ 1 g carb/ .2 g fat for my current weight of 164, but the math is not adding up for me. Based on that in tandem with 1 g protein, 1 g carb, and 1 g fat being 4,4, and 9 cals, respectively, the total cal intake is 1738. However, my BMR is about 1450(based on a number of different calculators); even adding in a high 400 cal expended in exercise, my net then is 1850, 20% of which is about 1480, not 1738. Which of my factors is wrong?

Hey Mike, thanks for this informative article! I have been trying to create a diet plan to build muscle and lose fat. I’m a female that is currently 116 lbs. I’m trying to tweak your basic diet guidelines to reach a caloric intake of ~2100 (calculated with BMR) to maintain but that means my carb and fat intake will be significantly increased because it is not recommended to consume more than 1.2 g/lb of protein. What do you think I should do?

Michael Matthews

My pleasure! I highly doubt you will be able to eat that much. Check this out:

Hey Mike, I wanted to ask you, I downloaded your BLS book, and I get that lifting in the 4-6 rep range is ideal, but I wanted to know, do I decease the size of the weights on my next few sets or do I just train with the same weight throughout the 3 sets?

Michael Matthews

Thanks! Keep the weight if you can!

Adel-Alexander

Cool! Also, I wanted to ask. Should I get the Beyond BLS or is it fine if I just stick with the current book?

Michael Matthews

Totally fine to stick with BLS for now as the program in BBLS is for advanced lifters.

Jordan

I am 13 I’m 5’8 and I weigh 150 and I have 20% body fat and I’m trying to get it down to like 10-12% what should I do

Michael Matthews

Great job! We don’t want to be restricting calories much at your age because it can mess with your development.

What we want to do instead is have you follow a healthy meal plan and use regular exercise to trim off any fat.

What do you think?

john leberid

Hi mike i need ur help. Im a 13 year old boy and i weigh 114 pounds and am 62 inches tall.I would have a good body if not for my fat belly.I am not allowed to use supplements or weights but i do a lot of body weight exercises and crunches and i also play soccer for 2 hours every day. Could u please help me figure out how i can lose 2 inches off the diameter of my stomach.Thanks

Michael Matthews

Hey man!

Great on what you’re doing and honestly brother let’s not worry too much about having a little fat at your age. Your body is developing and you don’t want to mess with restricting calories or you can screw up hormones and other developmental factors.

Let’s do this:

Keep exercising like you’re doing and stick to a high-protein diet comprised mainly of nutritious foods. Keep the fast food to a minimum, don’t drink calories, and don’t eat a ton of sugar.

What do you think?

john leberid

Thanks for the tips mike!:) I’ll try my best to stay away from fast food and sugary stuff.

Michael Matthews

Sure thing! Great let me know how it goes.

Danna

I would like to know the best way to get rid of stubborn leg fat, specifically hip, inner thigh, and butt fat. Hiit cardio, fasted or not, cycling, distance running? My upper body has so definition but lower body doesn’t not want to let go of the fat. Very frustrated – looking seriously into liposuction.

It will let you factor in your exercise as you’re following a different program.

Yes I eat within about 30-45 minutes of working out. I don’t follow IF.

Queboii

Hey Michael, I’ve read your book Bigger Leaner Stronger and I think it’s great, especially as I just started out in weight lifting when I got it. I’m trying to get a cutting diet but my daily calorie intake is 1217 cals. (118.5g protein, 152.5 carbs, 28.5 fat). I’m 16 and wondering if this diet does not have enough calories in it for me. Plus: I put on body fat easily.

Queboii

Also the 4-6 rep rate worked well for me as my strength has nearly doubled in a month!

Michael Matthews

That’s awesome!

Michael Matthews

Thanks! I really appreciate it.

It sounds like you don’t weigh much so that will be about right. You can learn more here:

Hi Mike , I’m a 55 year old male , I’ve been working out for ovet 20 years, since I read your books i`ve changed my work out to 4 timed a week with the weights, mostly compound lifting first thing in the morning in a fasted state, i take 5 grams of leucine before my workout. I`m on a 2000 cal diet, wich is 20% less than what i burn cant seem to get the bf% down below 19%. If I start hiit do you think i`ll loose lean mass i lost 15lbs in 8 weeks

Michael Matthews

Thanks so much! I’m really glad to hear you’re rocking and rolling.

2,000 cal per day sounds about right. Are you losing body fat or are you completely stalled?

stdez

I`m stalled at 19% bf, I want to get down to about 14 or 15 but I,m worried about loosing any moore lean mass, like I said I lost about 17 lbs but no body fat

Hey Mike, my wife and I are both on board with your books and plan. She is just getting started. She weighs 282lbs is 5’5 and according to the calculations she is at 507 calories a day. Please tell me we are doing something wrong. She has finally had enough and I want her to succeed. She has a personal trainer but I’m sure it’s mostly diet issues. Her trainer is on board with your method but we need to figure her calories and what’s a proper deficit with the workout load. Please advice, we really need the guidance.

I am 5’8 and half weight 150 pounds with 8% body fat (mabey even lower). I am also an ectomorph with very fast metabolism, although I do not consider myself a hard gainer at all. My focus is burning fat while building muscle. I feel that a caloric intake of 2200 cals a day (above the recommend calculation)
still might be too low for me, as I am still very hungry after I have eaten everythingby 5 pm. I eat about 190 grams of protein, 100 grams of carbs, and 40grams of fat a day in nutritous whole foods.
I lift weights hard four times a week, do HIIT cardio 2 times a week, and walk45 mins on my off days. I also stand most of the day and sit for only 3-4 hours a day. Given these circumstances, do you think I could stillburn 1-2 pounds of fat a week eating 2500 or 3000 calories a day (hopefully 3,000)? Thanks for your
knowledge and help.

Thanks Mike, but I am a little confused. You said I’m not eating enough, but I performed all of the calculations from the link you supplied, and my 20% calorie deficiency came out to be just 2,066 calories a day. I want to get to 6% (2% left to go) body fat while building some muscle before I start bulking on the slight calorie surplus that you recommend. Do you think given my situation (very active ectomorph with fast metabolism), I could still achieve that with 2,500 calories a day? What about ,3000 a day? I am not new to weight lifting, but I have plenty of room to regain muscle that I lost in the past.

Michael Matthews

Ohh sorry I didn’t realize you’re cutting. Oops!

Hmm we could try 2500 but we’ll have to see how your body responds.

If you can eat 3k per day and get to 6% I’m going to hate you, hahahah.

mwood10480

(laughing) Ah so it looks like 2,500 may be pushing it then after all. I better stick with 2200 to be safe.Thanks again Mike. By the way, I can’t wait to try Phoenix.

Michael Matthews

Haha okay man let me know how it goes. Thanks brother. It will be shipping out very soon!

Wildjack82

Mike,
I’ve been doing BLS for a few months and love it. I’m cutting ( gone from 186 to 171) and have increased my strength in the gym. Im now struggling to lose last those few last few pounds of stubborn belly fat so I’ve been browsing your articles looking for additional advise. I ran into your article written last year ‘how to safely and healthily lose weight: part one” and the calculations come out significantly different than the calculations in BLS (ie, a LOT more fat, and a LOT less carbs). Is there any particular reason these are so different? Would dropping my carbs speed things up?
I think I’d die cutting my carbs that much so im going to stick to the BLS calcs and keep grinding it out.
Just wanted to know the reasoning behind the different calcs.

Michael Matthews

Awesome! Great job!

Ah yeah that’s a low-carb approach for dropping as much water as possible. You don’t need this.

the total body recomp,
1.How long should I stay in the caloric deficit? (doing 20% less now btw. )
2. When can this losing fat and building muscle at the same time end?
Thanks again. Sorry for not being clear, I still have problems putting all my questions together.

I’ve been doing really well following the iifym diet, it’s the best one I’ve tried that keeps me from having my binge moments and having extream cravings. I’ve lost 6 pounds this past month following your diet and exercise plan!

I still have around 5% more body fat I’d like to lose! and I was making great gains but unfortunately a couple days ago I got into a bad car accident and fractured my hip. My doctor said I need to be on crutches for 6 weeks which is really shattering for me since I was doing so well…

What should I do for my diet plan to keep losing a bit of fat or at least not gaining any, and to loose as little muscle as possible while I’m unable to work out? Any supplements I should still be taking while out of commission?

Thanks Mike, I’m feeling really down from this but I hope I can come out strong and get the gains back once I’m back on my feet, literally.

Sarah, 21, 130lbs, 23% bf 5′ 4″

Michael Matthews

Arg I’m sorry to hear about the accident.

Let’s keep you on a high-protein diet and just eating around maintenance. You can calculate this here:

Hey. Im a 14 year old girl and want to build muscle and lose a little fat. I really like the look of lean,muscular woman. I pretty much want to build muscle everywhere and the only place I really would want to lose fat is in my stomach. It is probably important to mention i’m on the lower end of a healthy weight. I do a bunch of different bodyweight exercises (alternating between upper and lower body each day) and lift a small weight. I also play a ton of different sports and am really active. I eat really healthy except for a little junk on weekends. I know i am a little young for this, but I want to be and look healthy. I am thin everywhere except my stomach. Also does it matter that I probably do too much cardio. I just love sports and don’t really want to limit them if possible. Just to be specific I mostly swim (mostly the butterfly and breathstroke), play volleyball and frisbee. Sorry for the really long comment.

Michael Matthews

Hey! At your age I wouldn’t get into restricting calories and such as you don’t want to get in the way of your body’s development.

What I would do is aim for eating no less than 90% of TDEE and just be active: do resistance training, play sports, etc. and your body should change slowly without any negative health effects.

Are you sure about your calculations for macros? At 112lbs, 5’7″, and an estimated 18% body fat, give or take, that would put me at under 1200 calories/day. I’m burning between 250-400 calories on average during my 45-min workouts, 4x/week. Currently I’m consuming 1450 calories, about 120c 40f 140p.

But yes it will be no higher than 1300/1350. You’re a small/lean girl and thus don’t get to eat a lot if you want to lose more fat.

Cara

I am also a small / lean gal and have recently started weight training – very excited about it! But my problem is the opposite – I want to gain body fat. SO I am staying away from cardio type exercise and focusing on free weights and working on pushing myself to higher weights – like less variety of exercises (mostly squats, deadlift, hip thrust, chest press, row) 5 sets 6 – 8 or 8-10 reps. I am also trying to keep my healthy calorie intake as high as I can stand it. And I have gained 5 lbs in two months! Love! For me this is a huge increase as I don’t gain weight at all usually. But – I am losing what body fat I had and becoming waaay too lean! This is making me unhappy.
I love getting stronger but not getting leaner – I understand this is not the usual issue but I can;t seem to get around it. Most suggestions are to eat junk food and drink gallons of milk.

If you give it some thought you’ll be able to hit your numbers without eating junk food…

Loke

Mike, thank you SO MUCH! I like how you are a NO BS guide to natural bodybuilding. You genuinely wanna help folks out there to get in shape. I purchased your book and it was invaluable – the 4-6 rep golden rule has helped me pack on more than I would’ve imagined in a few months and I’m just a beginner! I pre-ordered your PHOENIX fat burner- I was very impressed by your research on the website – all backed by science and clinical studies. One question – will PHOENIX used on a caloric surplus (moderate) hypertrophy focused based diet help me LOSE FAT and gain muscle (with caloric surplus+heavy lifting) at the same time? So basically, I keep lifting heavy (4-6 reps for 12 sets max) on a high protein, moderate carb intake (positive nitrogen balance) but torch the fat away with the fat burner PHOENIX? Can this happen?

Michael Matthews

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it.

Definitely let me know how you like Phoenix!

While it will increase BMR and thus would decrease the amount of fat you gain while bulking, I wouldn’t use it while bulking. Your body will build a tolerance over time. I would save for cutting…

Ryan

I currently work out 4 days a week, weigh 161 consume 2200 to 2400 calories a day 40% Carbs, 30% Fat, and 30% Protein. I am building lean muscle and losing fat. It takes months though. Starving myself before eating between 1500 and 1700 calories with about the same caloric ratios I did not gain any muscle and my body stored fat around my belly because it thought I was starving. Eat right and keep your ratios in balance with consistent exercise is the best routine.

Michael Matthews

Great on what you’re doing. Keep up the good work and keep me posted!

Clarence

I’ve dropped 85 pounds in 6 months, lost 15 inches on my waist, lost 11 inches on my love handles, lost 9 inches on my chest, and gained 2 inches on my shoulders, also gained a half inch on my arms, from fat arms to muscular and defined arms.

I weigh 195, I’m 11.5 to 12.5 body fat, depending on the scale. The one I used throughout says 11.5 but I got a more sophisticated one and it says 12.5. Either way, my goal is for 8 percent, I’ve got between 6 to 10 pounds of fat to lose, and my goal weight is 197 at 8% body fat, so, I have about 12 pounds of muscle I need to put on.

Should I cut the last 10 pounds of fat and then bulk and cut, or can I bulk and then just cut all the extra fat, with the help of extra muscle?

Michael Matthews

Wow great job! That rocks. I like your goal. This article will answer your questions:

Hi,
I been searching the internet all day trying to figure this MACRO and meal plan out! I am a newbie……….very NEW! I just started this journey. Im having trouble gettting my macro numbers based on your advice. I weight 192, 5’8, female with 33% body fat. How do I calculate this off your suggestion? Please help!!!
thanks in advance :-)!!!

Hello! I’m 34 years old and had my second baby last year and was having a really hard time losing any weight. For 8 months I was eating 1300 calories per day, working out (HITT and weights) with a trainer 4-5 times per week. No weight loss. I’ve dieted and worked out most of life, so none of this is new to me….except I’d never not been able to get results. I FINALLY went to a nutritionist and my initial weight was 160 lbs, 40% body fat and my lean mass was only around 95 lbs. He put me on a very specific diet and has tweaked it along the way. It’s more or less zone based in terms of macronutrients percentages. In 20 weeks I’ve lost 20 lbs of fat, gained 10 pounds of muscle and I’ve lost 11% body fat. I’m currently at 148 lbs. My diet is pretty low calories as I obviously needed to create a deficit to finally start losing weight- and I’m on track most of the time, but not perfect though. My question is….are these good results? My nutritionist makes comments that things are moving at a snails pace for me, however everything I’ve read says these are pretty good results. I’ve lost an insane amount of inches all over too. I feel a little discouraged and just wanted to know if these results are typical or if I should be doing more?? Thank you!

Michael Matthews

Congrats on the baby! Wow, great job! That’s amazing! Yes those are very good results.

Great article!! I admire you and your work ethic. I admire how you take the time to reply to everyone who posts and take your time to help them. I am currently doing a personal training course and start my masters in nutrition in a few weeks. I hope that one day I can be as helpful as you are and as inspiring as you are to people.

Michael Matthews

Thanks so much! Keep up the good work and keep me posted!

queenierz

Hey, great article! I’m lifting 3 times a week, with one rest day in between now to recover my muscles. I used to do heavy cardio before, but now I lessened it. However, I would like to keep my fitness level high as well, so like you said to do HIIT 3-4 sessions a week, when should I do it? Should I do it on the day that I lifted, or on the day that I rested? I’ve been stressing over this decision for quite some time already…

Michael Matthews

Thanks! It sounds like you’re doing well. Personally I lift 5 x per week when cutting and do 3 – 4 x 25-30 minute HIIT sessions and my body does very well with this.

Sid

Hey,

I lost quite a lot of weight down from 220 pounds to 165 pounds over a period of 4 months. I was on a really low calorie deficit diet. Though I was keeping a good protein intake so I do have some lean muscles. But there is still fat on my belly mostly whereas my upper body has less fat. Now I am confused should I go for this lose fat while build muscle or I should bulk first because I do not want to lose remaining of my muscles in process to lose fat around my belly. So what do you suggest I should try and also I would love to buy your book if you recommend its for me. And also I am a non-meat eater but I eat eggs so they have been my main source of protein other than whey protein.

Reading your book thinner leaner stronger, been weight training for about 6 months before buying your book. I have changed my routine to what you recommend chest,back,shoulder,arms,legs and 2-3 hiit sessions. I have so much more energy, you are so right, I honestly go nuts when my workouts are over. I use to workout an hour sometimes an hour an a half 3 times a week and be miserable. Now working out is more enjoyable and not a chore. Right now I’m struggling with trying to get rid of stubborn fat. I was sad to find out somehow I have 26% body fat, which is so weird to me cuz you can see muscle definition in my body. That and I am a ridiculously healthy eater and I use to circuit train with weights and run. I don’t even have a car I walk everywhere by choice (we have legs for a reason and cars are expensive and bad for the environment). I also have a very high determination with everything I do, so im so frustrated with knowing this body fat %. I seem to hold most of my fat in my lower arms. My measurements with calipers are back 15mm, triceps 15mm, belly 11mm and bicep 5mm. I have been making a deficit in my diet and have been doing your program for a week and a half now. I lost a 1lb already, but nervous because my metabolism has finally become faster over the years. I was wanting to know how long can you diet before your metabolism slows down on a calorie deficit? And is there anything else I can do that I’m not to help my fatloss? I keep feeling its impossible for me to be the way I want to because I came from a very unhealthy family and I was once 200lbs. I have worked my butt off to get to 143 and I feel I have done more than I needed to to get there. I feel that the stubborn fat I have will never all permanently go away, but I am hoping so. I have seen my body become firmer doing your program for just a week. Just trying to stay positive, I will always push myself and never give up, but just would like to know your opinion because it means a lot to me. You are a fact seeker, a researcher and don’t settle with anything unless your for sure you know the truth. I am the same way with nutrition, so I know you are a good person to go to for fitness. I appreciate your work and would like to say good job for all your hard work and helping yourself and helping others with the information you have learned over time. I know how valuable time and learning and figuring things out is. It means a lot that you put your information out there and most for free or a very low price. You are a good man and thank you! Wish there was more people the same way, the world would’nt be so messed up. Sorry for writing such a long message, I cant write short messages, I like writing xp. And just excited to learn.

Michael Matthews

Thanks for reading my book and writing! I really appreciate it.

You’re working hard and that’s awesome. Keep it up and keep me posted!

jordan

hi there mike my name is jordan and i just want to say how much i appreciate all the help and guidance that your articles have given me, i no longer feel like a meathead in the gym pushing weight from point a to point b. i have really enjoyed learning all the science behind all these things and i am now applying them in my training especially the tips you have on form, and i have to say my time in the gym now is better than i could have ever hoped. with that being said i do have a question for you, how much of a calorie deficit should i be on to maximize the results of both fatloss and muscle gain?? i am 19 years old so i am fairly new to weightlifting, i have 1 and a half years experience and i know my way around the gym and am working currently on perfecting my form with the help of your other articles. i am 84kgs, 19% bf, i do 4-5 weightlifting sessions a week and 3-4 fasted cardio sessions (i do them in the morning when i wake up), i am currently on around a 600 calorie deficit, my tdee is around 2800 and im getting in 2200 with the 40,40,20 ratio and i was just wondering what the “optimum” per se calorie deficit would be as i work at night and i am getting rather tired at work to the point where i need to have more food to stay functional, is there a reason for that? do i need to structure my meals differently? or do i need to eat more? sorry for the incredibly long post but i have alot of questions and i figured it would be better to ask them all in one place. thanks mike

Reading, the article above – I feel curious – when you say ” no more than 20-30 minutes of HIIT per session, and no more than 3-4 sessions per week.” – do you mean total minutes that would include 4-6(30 second) sprints AND 4-6 minute rest in between? Would the 20-30 minutes include the rest time as well as the sprint times? thank you!

Very nice. I found good guide how to les weight and gow to gain muscle mass fast.I tested it and I must tell you this is very good guide.If you are interested http://healthybodybuilder.com/
I recommend

Good Luck

Nick

Mike, I have been lifting for about 4 months now, and I am at around 13% bf. I have been bulking since I started, do you think it would be possible for me to start cutting, and still gain some muscle while losing fat?

hey mike, is your bigger leaner stronger book ok to follow for beginners im just starting out

Michael Matthews

Yeah definitely.

Wasim Anwar

Hi

Have been following your guidance in doing compound heavy weights in the 4-6 rep range. Unfortunately, I have put on about 2.5kg and can’t see how I can loose fat. I used to do HIIT with Kettlebells, but find it hard with kids and domestic life to find time. My gym workouts happen late at night around 10pm when everyone is in bed around 4 times a week.

I lost over 20kg way back from 100kg to 75kg on a low carb diet and have always hovered around 76kg. I’m now at 80kg, 175cm and cannot seem to ever loose my love handles and tummy. I’m 42 years of age and follow a pretty clean diet, no sugar, low carb and high protein when possible. I do have a cheat day once a week too.

Hi I’ve been weight training and exercising for about 6 months now and the fat fell off me went from 240 down to my current 175 but I feel like I should be building more muscle then I am so I started to up my calories and now I’m afraid of more fat being stored then I want. Any suggestions?

HIIT is the ultimate and best way to get ripped and toned even without lifting an inch, I did it for 97 days and lost exactly 30kg with great diet Ofcourse, but ate everything in moderation without sugar, monosodium glutamate and all processed foods and you won’t believe what my HIIT was, lol.. I walk for about a mile and just run, not sprint just for few minutes just to last a song track and walk again just twice or thrice depending on my mood. Now I’m slimmer and weigh 78kg trying to lose the last few waist lines cuz my abbs are out already but I’ve started a new HIIT routine cuz my body has adopted the previous one, now I still walk and just raise high knees several times repeatedly and this works even more wonders as I’m lifting weights and building muscles and I’m transforming so fast. I guess it’s how you also adapt your body to a certain workout really matters cuz I feel like I’ve cheated my way to fat loss.lol..it feels great though.

Michael Matthews

Wow that’s great. This might help you get rid of the last bits of fat:

Hi Mike, first of all thanks a lot for the detailed information provided in this article. I just wanted to let you know that for a long time i was a believer of the High Rep = more definition and Low Rep = more strength, but i see that it has more to do with body fat %.

I am currently 125lbs, my abs show, but only when i flex so im guessing i am not in the low numbers yet. My goal is to put on a couple pounds of just Muscle Mass and not fat, but yet have a shredded look. Should i be doing HIIT as recommended? Should i be eating over my daily caloric intake? also should my workouts consist of 9-12 sets of 4-8 reps per body part?

Thanks in advance, i just really want to know how i can accomplish my goals. God bless.

I had never been to a gym before, never worked out regularly until I started going last month. I am 5’7″, weighed 130lbs with 22% body fat. I just got the numbers today and I’m 132lbs with 20% body fat! I see my trainer 2x/wk in the gym and have not changed my diet (it’s always been fairly healthy with the bulk of my protein coming from elk meat which is 33%).

I didn’t know how incredibly fantastic my achievement was until I read this! Thanks!!

Michael Matthews

That’s great you’ve started and are already making gains!
Keep up the good work and keep me posted!

Kevin Roth

Hey mike thanks for the article.

Although you discussed to focus on compound exercises and the 4-6 rep range, i was wondering if there was a specific number of reps i should do per bodypart a week.

Hi there- I am a 5’7 female weighing 144 pounds and am looking to lose weight while gaining lean muscle. I just started with a personal trainer, and am currently lifting 2 times a week and doing cardio 2-3 days. The trainer is having me eat 1,800 calories consisting of 113g protein, 60g fat, and 203g carbs. That doesn’t seem to match up with what you are suggesting, so I am wondering if these amounts are hurting my chances of success. I would love any thoughts you have on this.

Michael Matthews

Hey!

Cool on what you’re doing. Personally I would have you exercise more and eat a bit less, with more protein.

In your book you state working each muscle group only once a week. This just seems like too much rest as hypertrophy stops after 48 hours after lifting, even sooner for more experienced lifters. I currently am on a split of working chest/back and shoulders twice a week with one heavy day (4-6 reps) and one light day (10-12 reps). In your opinion is this something you could see adding a good amount of size/strength? Thanks.

I’m going to be 59 in three weeks. I lost 52 pounds in 5 and a half months. 3-4 days a week workout. Low weights, 12-15 reps. i suffer from peripheral neuraphathy. I refuse to let it stop me from getting a 6 pack by Nov 2015. I did not use drugs of any kind except for an occasional ibuprofen for pain recovery. I did change my eating regiment. I when on a ketogentic diet. It has worked well. However, I have the phreakin loose belly skin. I will take your advice and make some changes to my exercise. I will keep you posted. Oh, I’ve lost 8.6 inches from my waist. Big man out.

Im glad I came across this article. Ive been trying to lose anout 5 pounds for the military and I do a lot of cardio which helped me lose a lot of weight at first but now my body’s platued. I’d feared that gaining muscle through lifting would hurt my loss. I used to lift in college for sports so Im not new to lifting but I feared gaining muscle would make the scale go up.
I started to think about doing lifting again because aside from trying many diets and working out like crazy(cardio) Lifting is the ONE thing I hadnt tried. I just also wanted to be sure i could continue fat loss along with the muscles that come with lifting. Thanks for sharing though. This was awesome!

Hi Mike. I am 3/4 of way to completing your BLS book. I found the nutrition section extremely informative. In particular the section on postworkout nutrition. I never considered the importance of carbs immediately after training. I just used to have whey protein then have my evening meal 1-2 hours later. My food options are slightly limited and I wanted to know if a bowel of cornflakes/branflakes would give me the necessary carbs until my evening meal? (With whey protein and milk). Otherwise I was considering on buying a meal replacement supplement.
Thanks

Right now im at 155 and a little over 10% body fat. Maxing bench at 230 and squatting 295. I have never dead lifted regularly so I am including that in my regimen. I have a noticeable core and abs but have always struggled getting to that “elite” physique. Do you suggest i start lifting in a fasted state to get my bf % down and HIIT cardio 3 days a week, or will I start losing muscle gains?

Michael Matthews

That’s great! Solid numbers.

Fasted training can definitely help get rid of stubborn fat. I talk about it here:

Hey Mike! The first time I read the stuff you posted on your website made me realise what things I was doing wrong and I’ve tried rectifying them and have seen good results. But now I’m stuck in a really bad place.
I recently found out that I have a mild case of varicose veins. The problem is that I’ve been advised to avoid heavy weights that impact my legs, else it has chances of spreading. That kinda eliminates deadlifts and weighted squats. But you have always emphasised how great heavy compound lifting is. Is there any way around this?

Michael Matthews

Thanks man! No worries. If we have to do without them, we have to do without them.

What can you do for legs?

Akshay Ahlawat

No exercise has been eliminated, I’ve just been advised to not go heavy on the exercises which directly impact the legs. Squats and deadlifts, for example.

Michael Matthews

Okay. And what’s “not heavy,” exactly?

Akshay Ahlawat

I’ve been told to not lift beyond 40-50kgs (90-110lbs). Sorry for that, didn’t realise I was being vague.

Michael Matthews

No worries. Hmm okay. Well it is what it is, then. We’ll just have to work around it…

Guest

Great Article! It is very possible to lose body fat and build muscle at the same time. I actually prefer to be lean all year round. Like you mentioned above, the secret is to get really strong to build that hard, dense muscle. You just have to keep the volume fairly low, because you are in a small calorie deficit. I like to keep that 200-300 calories below maintenance. I implement intermittent fasting each day so I can enjoy huge meals in the evening and still be able to maintain the calorie deficit. Also, I found the 3 day split of Monday Wednesday Friday to really help me gain strength. Keep up the great work!

http://gtmfitness.com/ Trent – GTM Fitness

Great Article! It is very possible to lose body fat and build muscle at the same time. I actually prefer to be lean all year round. Like you mentioned above, the secret is to get really strong to build that hard, dense muscle. You just have to keep the volume fairly low, because you are in a small calorie deficit. I like to keep that 200-300 calories below maintenance. I implement intermittent fasting each day so I can enjoy huge meals in the evening and still be able to maintain the calorie deficit. Also, I found the 3 day split of Monday Wednesday Friday to really help me gain strength. Keep up the great work!!

Michael Matthews

Thanks for the comment and great job man! You look fantastic.

Alejandro

Hi trent. I am starting on the build muscle, lose body fat regime as described by Michael in his e-mail below. May I ask how many grams of carbs, proteins and fat did you have every day? Also if you could let me know how many lifting and cardio days per weeks you used it would be great. I personally also like to stay Lean all year long and wouldn’t loke to get into the Bulking and cutting regime.

Thanks

http://gtmfitness.com/ Trent – GTM Fitness

Hey thanks for the reply!

I would not recommend using the same macros as me, everyone is different!

I strength trained 3 times per week, Mon Wed Fri.
I actually did not have any set cardio days, but rather did up to 40 minutes of walking on my rest days. My nutrition was pretty dialed in.

Hope this helps!

Alejandro

Thanks, it helped a lot. What rep range did you work during the 3 days? If you wouldn’t mind giving a brief description of your training days, reps range and sets it would be very helpful
All the best
Alejandro

Hey Mike! I’m on week 6 of TLS (love the quick, tough weight lifting sessions!) and I typically hop on the treadmill right after and do 20 – 30 minutes walking at speed 3 incline 15, then do HIIT in the evening. Is this ok, or am I better off skipping the incline walking and doing HIIT right after my workout? I like adding in the LISS but if it’s more of a hindrance than help I can skip it. Thanks for providing such straightforward and science-backed advice! I reference your articles all the time!

Michael Matthews

Awesome! I’m glad to hear you’re doing well.

Yes that’s fine so long as you don’t run into overtraining issues. You could do your HIIT after lifting if you prefer it.

Hope this helps! Talk soon!

Amanda

Thanks Mike! I’ll mix it up a bit and see what I like. Thanks for the solid advice. It seriously blows me away how you reply to every single post on here (and are continually adding new content)! I love reading the questions and your replies, it really adds to the community you’ve created. Great work and THANK YOU!

Michael Matthews

Great! Thanks for the kind words! Lots more to come!

Diana

I lost more than 17 pounds and literally re-shaped my body by
following this treatment:> http://6-minutes-toskinny.blogspot.com
I could not remove fat from my belly. But then one of my friends,
He showed me a simple solution that I had never heard about on TV or read in any magazine. I followed this treatment for 3 weeks and lost 17 pounds in weight. I recommend this method to all my friends who have accumulated fat in the belly ..

Hi, question: if i put myself in a deficit greater than 20% of my daily calorie goal will that affect my body in a negative way? example will I be gaining fat or keeping the same amount of fat percentage that i already have?!

Hi Michael, I had gotten into a self doubt slump over the year so finally in August 2014 I decided that I needed that extra push to workout regularly. I joined a crossfit gym and have been going 5 days a week since I started. I am 5’4 and at the time when I joined I was a flubby 162 lbs. It is now the end of December and instead of losing weight I am at 171 lbs. Though I am tight on legs, arms and my stomach looks way better I can’t help but feel disappointed in myself and not reaching my weight loss goals. I must admit that I started working on my diet in November but have not lost a pound. I do feel stronger and better but I am just needing that extra help of understanding where I am going wrong. Please… any advice at this point would be wonderful.

Michael Matthews

That’s great you’ve gotten into a gym. Let’s check out your diet first:

I am using a herbal formula testosterone booster containing ashwagandha, mucuna pruriens, gokshura, Chlorophytum borivilianum. I find fascinating the idea of herbs working together in synergy, my mood is better and I have great stamina and energy to get my work done and to make my wife happy

Crystal

Hi Mike!

I just bought TLS and have started the program but am confused with whether I should be dieting to lose weight or build muscle. In sum, I lost about 25 lbs. over the course of a year through calorie deficit and strength training. I have found that I can pretty much eat what I want with no visible fat gain. I am now on a your heavy lifting program presented in TLS.

I am satisfied with my size and don’t want to reduce overall mass but have a few problem areas with obvious fat. Over the summer, I started distance running (12+ miles) and found that I got too scrawny looking. Current stats: Female, 5’8, 145 lbs., 22-23% body fat (measured with handheld device). To lose fat in those areas, should I eat to lose weight or at TDEE and continue with the lifting and clean eating?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post!

Michael Matthews

Thanks Crystal! Great job on what you’ve done so far.

It sounds like you should focus on losing fat first. Let’s get you to the 17-18% range and see what you think?

Hi Michael Matthews, I read the stuff above you posted with interest. In July of 2014, my body fat percentage was about 28% and I weighed 247 pounds. I went on Weight Watchers (where the principle, one that works for me and is important to me, is that you don’t have to deprive yourself of any one food or macronutrient), and by January of this year, I lost 30 pounds. I started exercising at the gym (about 60 minutes a day on a LifeFitness elliptical machine, Level 9 or higher; according to the LifeFitness display screen, this burned between 600-700 calories). I also would, on any one day, do 3-4 chest press reps, 3-4 ab crunch reps, 3-4 shoulder press reps, 3-4 bicep curls and 3-4 tricep curls. This occurred as the weight was coming off. In the last two weeks, losing weight has been difficult. I may have hit a plateau. At any rate, I decided to change the workout. I now do, on any one day, 30 minutes on the stairmaster, and do 4-8 reps on the chest press, and 4-8 reps on the ab crunch machine. My weight in the last two weeks has gone up 4 pounds. I asked someone at the gym why this was happening. “Because muscle weighs more than fat, and you’re gaining muscle.” Put the answer aside. I read your article above. I want to lose body fat and build muscle at the same time, so that I can continue to lose weight (or at least not gain it). BTW, my body fat %age is now at 20, and I weight 220 pounds (as opposed to 215, which I did two weeks ago). I really don’t have any friends (I have NO one to go, say, a gym with, or to really notice weight loss, or fat loss), and it’s difficult for me to see if I “look” bigger or more “built” (or more lean, for that matter) now than I did two two hours or two months ago. About a year ago, I bought Jake Hunter’s “4-minute Abs” books and CDs. These focus on HIIT. I followed the recommended HIIT routine for about four weeks and it literally made me sick to my stomach. I felt more than once that I was going to pass out after completing a 3-4 min. cycle of rest/go really fast/rest/go really fast eight times. I vomited more than once, too. This was before the weight loss. I went to my doctor and had my vitals measured, and there’s nothing wrong with my resting metabolic rate or any other physical reason that a thorough physical reason should/would have turned up. I don’t want to keep gaining weight, though. From your article, exercise-wise, to lose fat and gain muscle, exercise-wise, it’s either heavy compound weight lifting or HIIT and that’s it. I’m willing to try the weight lifting but it would be tough because even at a gym no one can or would want to spot me. Is my reaction to the HIIT abnormal? Was I maybe doing something wrong? I want to lower % body fat because it’s a good thing to do (my BMI says that the high end of “normal,” for me, a 36 year-old, 219-pound male, is 195; I’m not concerned about going down to 195 but it would be nice to be able to get to 205 to 210, lose body fat, and look more toned. I have no idea how to do this and I am afraid that if HIIT is the answer then I might need to reconsider or at the least reconsider how I’ve been doing it (I tried following the suggestions about what to eat, when to do the HIIT and so forth and following the suggestions didn’t make the experience any less, well, traumatic, for lack of a better word). Is it possible, given the goal that I’ve stated (maybe that goal is NOT possible in the first place, is that is the case could you tell me?), to just focus on the weight lifting? Also, as far as calories go, with respect, I cannot tell, whether to achieve my goals, I should have a deficit, and if so, what amount this deficit should be. Right now, I operate from a surplus. My macronutrient intake daily is roughly 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat. Not one fitness/weight loss person has told me anything other than this ratio is something I should be smited for (so to speak), but these folks (from the Atkins types to the ones that think protein should constitute 50% of the day’s calories) can’t all be equally right, can they? Who is? Also, even if it’s the only way of achieving my goals, I don’t have the money to eat a “paleo” diet or a modified form of it. Generally, organic foods as well as any meats cost money, which is in short supply. Eating advice never seems to take into account the fact that some people are really in bad economic shape, can’t afford prepared meals, have oft-broken stoves (I wish I were kidding, and I cannot afford a new one right now. I also never learned how to cook and while I want to learn, the family environment I live in makes things difficult-I live with my parents and they habitate in the kitchen and it’s difficult to learn when you have no privacy, not to mention someone who is looking at your food intently while you are trying to eat it. I guess what I’m saying here is, it’d be great if I had some control over how I cook by, say, living in an apartment, but I can’t afford one. I have a microwave and the oven works some times but usually its operations sets off the fire alarm. I can eat a bland, inexpensive, boring diet of foods that can be easily prepared, if that’s what is needed, but some variety sure would be nice. Anyway, I’d be interested in hearing what you have to say, if anything, about whether it’s possible for me to meet the goal I stated above (or even part of it) given my circumstances.

Michael Matthews

Holy wall of text.

Can you do me a favor and bullet point your questions?

Wishing….

Hi, I have bullet-pointed my questions, below:

* In July of 2014, my body fat percentage was about 28% and I weighed 247 pounds

*By Jan. of this year, I lost about 30 pounds and from Oct.-Dec. went to the gym (about 60 minutes a day on a LifeFitness elliptical machine, Level 9 or higher; according to the LifeFitness display screen, this burned between 600-700 calories). I also would, on any one day, do 3-4 chest press reps, 3-4 ab crunch reps, 3-4 shoulder press reps, 3-4 bicep curls and 3-4 tricep curls. January 2015 workout: 30 minutes on the stairmaster, and do 4-8 reps on the chest press, and 4-8 reps on the ab crunch machine. My weight in the last two weeks has gone up 4 pounds. Might this weight gain be muscle gain? (I haven’t eaten more in Jan. than before).

* I want to lose body fat and build muscle at the same time, so that I can continue to lose weight (or at least not gain more than a little). My % body fat, measured today, is 18.5%. It was 21.6% three moths ago. I am a 36 year-old male and weight 220 pounds.

* Regarding HIIT: I followed the recommended HIIT routine for about four weeks in December of 2013 and doing the exercises made me sick to my stomach. I felt more than once that I was going to pass out after completing a 3-4 min. cycle of rest/go really fast/rest/go really fast eight times. I vomited more than once, too. From your article, exercise-wise, to lose fat and gain muscle, exercise-wise, it’s either heavy compound weight lifting or HIIT and that’s it? Can I achieve my goal of “lower body fat/more toned look without gaining weight (a little weight is OK if that’s needed)” WITHOUT HIIT (i.e.do the weight lifting alone?) Is there something I might have been doing wrong when I was doing the HIIT?

*Regarding my diet, what % of the macronutrients should be protein, what % carbs, what % fat?

Thank you! I bought some of your books and they seem helpful.

Michael Matthews

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my article! I hope you enjoyed it.

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Hello, I have been working out for about a year. I don’t really keep track of anything except how many grams of protein I have. When I started my body fat % was at 26.3% with 30lbs of body fat. The last time in I checked in October I was at 23.5% with 27.4 lbs of body fat. My muscle mass started at 79.4lbs and in October i was at 84.6lbs. I was told to not do cardio, so I only lift, 4-6x a week. I want to lose body fat, but continue building muscle. My question is, what do I do with my diet/macros once I have reached something I am comfortable with? Thank you!

Hi Michael, I have read your bigger, leaner stronger book, and I agree with almost everything that you say except for two things, one is I believe that too reach hypertrophy rep range doesnt matter that much, VOLUME is what matters, but if you have enough volume with low reps, that will lead to size and strenght and if you have enough volume but with slightly higher reps say 6 to 8 or 8 to 10 it will lead to the same hypertrophy but with less strenght and less time in the gym, but what I think that is a problem with your routine is the overall volume is too low, is it because intensity is a way to add volume, because I mean 4-6 is intense? The problem I see is that I have seen people who say that they worked in the lower rep ranges and they say they didnt get the size results they wanted. Like in MAX OT training, some people didnt see the results they wanted.

If you have little resistance-training experience, lifting heavier loads (>65% of 1RM), training closer to muscular failure, using higher training volume, and performing eccentric muscle actions (when using variable resistance) may lead to greater hypertrophy.
“and this is based on research, I am just saying because I want to follow your routine, yet I still think it lacks volume according to what I should be doing, do you think I could do your chest/triceps ,back/biceps, shoulders/legs but 2x a week?

Now I need to lose about 22 KG of fats while maintaining and growing the muscles.
I can only do my workout (cardio or weightlifting) early morning 6.00 am.
On (MON,WED and Friday) I do my weightlifting and Cardio
The rest of the week I can do Cardio only.
As am a little bit confused due to several readings, My Questions are:
Note: I have 5 lb of whey protein for now and don’t need to buy any other supplement for the next 2 months unless it is very important.

For weightlifting+cardio days at 6.00 am on (MON,WED and FRI)
1-I have to do HIIT before or after weightlifting?
2-Should I do that on empty stomach?
3-If No, What to eat before?
4- Should I take simple carbs immediately after the workout with protein shake?

For Cardio only days 6.00 am (the rest of the week)

5-I have to do HIIT or only steady cardio?
6-Should I do that on empty stomach?
7-If No, What to eat before?
8-Should I take simple carbs or whey protein after cardio ONLY sessions?

Your response willl be highly appreciated and sorry for many questions.

I’m a bit confused. I’m female, 5’0″ & 115lbs w approx 25%bf. I’m trying to get as close to the 18-20%bf range as possible. If I do 1.2g/lb protein, 1g/lb carb & 0.2g/lb fat, it comes out to 1219 calories. That’s well below a 20% deficit, it’s actually more than a 25%+ calorie deficit. I workout 5 days/week for a total of 60-70min, lifting 30-35 min, 30 min HIIT. Am I off on calculations? I keep reading I should be able to lose 1lb of fat/week but it hasn’t been happening for me. I had been eating 1g/lb protein, 1g/lb carb, .45g/lb fat. HELP!

Based on the recommended article I’d be eating 1162 cals/day (26f/116c/116p), that’s the suggested 20%-40%-40% split. 1162 cals…I’D DIE (not actually but pretty damn close). I might be destined to be a size 4 forever bc I don’t see how I could attack my training on that. Thoughts??

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Haha yeah that sounds about right. You’re a small girl so you don’t get to eat a lot. :/

You could go with a smaller deficit? 10%?

Coffeeforever

Hey Mike, what would happen if she went on a slow reverse diet an then into a deficit? Would that up her tdee?

I want to know what you think of those digital scales that measure fat percentage and calculates BMI. I have one of those (OMRON). I measured fat % back in Sept. and it showed 48% (190 lbs), so I started running and walking and working out. So, I got on the scale this morning and my fat % is 31%, but I still weigh the same. Can you explain?

I just had a question about cutting. You do the same workout as you would and i must say your workout has my gains shooting up! But when your cutting everything is the same just add in cardio like HIIT?

Hi im 16 and ive been weight training for about two years and ive gotten some mass but i want to cut all the fat but woth school and everything its hard ive been doing a plan of 2 servings of egg whites every morning and one scoop of protein post workouts which i have 5 to 6 days a week i have days where its more powerlifting movements and half the week i focus on bodybuilding. i get most if not all carbs from dinner and About 2 thirds of my daily calorie trying to keep a deficit. any tips or suggestions would help thank you.

I’ve been following the BLS program for a few weeks and I have a question regarding cardio. I work second shift 3-11 and have been lifting then doing hiit on the bike before work. I usually take BCAA’s before the cardio portion. The question is should I keep doing this or should I do the cardio after work around 11pm? I usually only stay up for an hour or two after I get out of work. I should also mention that I am doing fasted training, so I don’t eat before the gym I usually take a serving of Phoenix with BCAA’s and some Pulse PWO.

Thanks,

Randy

Randy Hoffman

Hey Mike,

I’ve been following the BLS program for a few weeks and I have a question regarding cardio. I work second shift 3-11 and have been lifting then doing hiit on the bike before work. I usually take BCAA’s before the cardio portion. The question is should I keep doing this or should I do the cardio after work around 11pm? I usually only stay up for an hour or two after I get out of work. I should also mention that I am doing fasted training, so I don’t eat before the gym I usually take a serving of Phoenix with BCAA’s and some Pulse PWO.

Thanks,

Randy

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Thanks for reading my book and writing! I really appreciate it.

Personally I would separate the workouts but if you don’t want to that’s not a problem per se. You can continue doing what you’re doing.

Stephen Reyes

Hey mike,

Is it possible to lose fat and gain muscle on maintenance calories?

Thanks in advance,
Stephen

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

No, you’d need to be in a deficit to lose fat. What sometimes happens is people THINK they’re at maintenance but aren’t.

Hi Mike, quick question. I weigh 177 pounds, at around 29% body fat according to the last DEXA scan I had. I would like to get lighter, but have decided to try and reduce my body fat/increase lean muscle mass as much as possible having spent years in that extreme calorie deficit/crazy amounts of cardio trap. I am lifting heavy weights and have cut cardio back to a couple of HIIT sessions per week. I’m just wondering how much I should be eating, particularly on days when I have to do weights in the morning and the cardio that night. Will 1500 calories (say, 120 carbs, 140 protein and 50 fat) be enough for me to preserve the muscle I am building or should I eat a touch more? Thank you for your help

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Cool on all this. I’d say those macros are a little low. Check this out:

Thanks so much. I’ve just downloaded the book so looking forward to getting into it! Love the site.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

YW! Thank you! LMK what you think!

Sally

Do the same calculations work for women? I’m 5’9″ and 41 years old and 175 pounds. I’ve been building muscle for about a year. A trainer gave me 1770 cals for cut but on your plan I would be 210P, 175C and 35F…right? About 1850 cals. I workout everyday and do HIIT about 3/week but I have a sedentary desk job. Thanks!

I’m actually wondering if it is possible to lose fat and gain muscle on a lower carb diet? Currently I am 150 5’7″ I ingest roughly 180-230g of protein and id guess around 50-75g of fat and. Less than 50g of carbs I do a lot of avocado and olive oil fats and lower GI carbs. I weight train about an hour a day with 30min of medium cardio and do this about 6x a week. How would you change my diet to maximize results?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Sure if you’re new to weightlifting, but I’m not a fan of low-carb dieting in general:

I have recently taken a lot from your articles. I used your tips for fat loss over last summer and it worked great though I did find myself losing a bit too much weight even though I was eating plenty of protein and lifting heavy… Now since December I have been trying to bulk up clean by eating at a very mild calorie surplus. What I am finding it that after putting on no more than 7 pounds, I am no longer putting weight on, but my waist is getting flabbier. I just came across another article of yours talking about insulin resistance and wondered whether I should do another cut as I think I’m around 17-18% body fat. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Nick

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Thanks Nick!

Yeah generally speaking you want to move between 10 and 15-17% to maximize muscle growth.

NB1986

Thanks Matt, but what explains the slight increase in body fat without an increase in weight? I’ve been sticking to my slight calorie surplus but not moving up in the scales… It’s weird!

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

How are you determining your body fat has increased?

NB1986

Just by measurement but you ‘just know’ when you’re fatter than before! Here’s a pic; the navy body fat calculator got me at 16%. Lower abdomen and love handles definitely bigger to me. My waist measurement just below my belly button is 34, it was 33 about 2 months back.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Well you can’t be gaining fat and losing muscle if you’re training hard and eating right (it’s actually impossible) so something else is going on here…

NB1986

Too much fat not enough carbs? Even though I usually hit my calories it’s usually more protein and fat. I can usually manage about 250g carbs where I need over 300g, fat and protein usually go over…

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Wait you’re eating 300+ grams of fat per day?

NB1986

Ha no!! My macros say I should get around 70g fat but I can easily hit 100, carbs are usually 350g but I struggle to hit 280g. Hence the calories from the fat are taking up the calories from carbs. Maybe that’s where I’m going wrong?

Firstly, I should say this is the
best fitness blog I’ve ever seen. Congrats!

My question is below:

I can’t limit the fat to the 0,2 grams per pound. Is it ok, if I don’t reduce the fat but eat
less carb than you indicated?

As a result, I will keep the calori deficit. But I wonder the effect of reducing carbs on
my muscle development.
Is it all about the calori taken per day ( decluding the protein issue
surely)

Thanks

Onur

Hi Mike,
Firstly, I should say this is the best fitness blog I’ve ever seen.
Congrats!

My question is below:

I can’t limit the fat 0,2 grams per pound. Is it ok, if I eat less carbs
than 1 gram per pound instead of eating less fat, while keeping the calori
deficit?

Will it effect my muscle development badly or is it all about the calori
taken per day (dicluding the protein issue surely)?

Thanks.

Onur

sorry for repeating

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Thanks so much! Yup you can play with carbs and fat. For every 2 grams of carb you remove, you can add 1 gram of fat.

John

I have a question regarding reps when you say do 4-6 reps and 9-12 sets does that mean for each exercise or the workout total. For example if i do squats should i do 4-6 reps for 9-12 sets or if im doing multiple exercises say squats and deadlifts they should equal 9-12 sets overall.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

The workout total. Not 9-12 sets per exercise. That would be insane!

Ben

Hey so my biggest questions first of all when you say “training regularly” what exactly so you mean. Also when you suggest 4-8 rep for 9-12, would it be wrong to do more sets (20) with maybe slightly higher reps (10), or would that cause too much tissue damage? With all this being said I am a 6’6″ 19yo and weigh about 250 approximately 23 percent body fat working out 5 times a week, with fairly decent genetics id like to think. I weight lifted for a year and a half then took a year off. Now Ive been back in the gym for about three months, I’m just curious if you think his program would work for me.

Thanks for the great article! I’m excited to put this into practice. When it comes to the calorie intake(1.2 g P; 1.0 g C; 0.2 g F per pound of body weight), do you base that on your current weight or on your goal weight? And I’m assuming that if it’s based on your current weight, as you drop pounds you are supposed to reduce the corresponding caloric intake.

Hi There, greetings from Brasil!
I´m lifting first thing in the morning from mon to fri (5 sessions), folowing more or less your book instructions. But I just don´t have the time to go on other sessions for cardio work. I can do it just after the lifting or not doing at all!
So, whats better? Continue with an ABCDE lifting trainning and no cardio or try something like an ABC or ABCD with 1 or 2 cardio (spinning) just after the lifting and 1 or 2 days for cardio only?
Congratulations and thks for your attention.

Roberto Brunori

Hi There, greetings from Brasil!
I´m lifting first thing in the morning from mon to fri (5 sessions), folowing more or less your book instructions. But I just don´t have the time to go on other sessions for cardio work. I can do it just after the lifting or not doing at all!
So, whats better? Continue with an ABCDE lifting trainning and no cardio or try something like an ABC or ABCD with 1 or 2 cardio (spinning) just after the lifting and 1 or 2 days for cardio only?
Congratulations and thks for your attention.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Hey hey!

Yeah you can lift after. It’s not a huge problem. We want you lifting 5 days per week, ideally.

Chris

Not sure if this is posted below somewhere, but, what is really the difference here vs. just hitting a cut as hard as possible?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

What do you mean?

Mia

Hi Mike, my name is Mia and I am 22 years old female. I have been going to the gym for one year now, and have been lifting weights. I weight 108 pounds, but haven’t been able to go over 115 pounds for a good amount of time. I eat healthy for the most part (fish, chicken, beef, salads, almonds, veggies, etc), but have a cheat day on Sundays (just going to a restaurant I like for a burger or something because I don’t really eat sweets). I’m also half Korean, so I eat Korean food (soups, kimchi, tofu, etc).. and I always cook at home besides on Sundays when I feel like eating out. I’ve been working out my arms, legs, glutes, shoulders, and back and have been looking up videos on Instagram. I don’t drink protein (Not sure if I should or not because I heard they don’t work.. But what do you think?).. And I don’t take much supplements besides fish oil and vitamin C. I don’t do cardio.. Maybe like 5 minutes before I lift weights. I do more cardio by lifting weights and not having much of a break in between for more than 45 seconds. My question is: How can I gain more muscle, and get rid of my extra fat? I am skinny-fit and my waist looks good, it’s just I have no butt; My muscles in my biceps don’t show/aren’t cut but I know they are there; I have some flab/cushion on my tummy; etc.. What would you suggest I do? Eat more protein and less fat and less carbs? I’m stuck. Please help. I also work 5 days a week 9-5.. So, I only go to the gym in the mornings at 7 and lift weights for an hour. How can I work this into my schedule?

Second, it sounds like we need to take a look at your workout routine too. What are you currently doing?

Couture_Fit

I read both of those, and I feel I gained a little more knowledge than I did before. I’m not quite sure what my body fat percentage is, but I am going to the gym tomorrow and I can ask if they will be able to help me figure my body fat percentage. I do think it’s around 25% because although I have muscle, my fat is covering it (according to the photo, haha)

As far as the workout routine, I split them up on days.
Mondays: All body (Deadlifts, Squats, Assisted Pull ups, etc..)
Tuesdays: Legs and glutes
Wednesdays: Rest
Thursdays: Arms (Bi’s and Tri’s)
Fridays: Shoulders and Back
** Each day I also include two ab workouts, as well as a couple glute workouts other than Tuesdays (Legs and Glutes)

I workout one hour a day since I work full time. I only do 5 minutes of cardio before an hour of lifting weights. What would you suggest I should do?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Cool on what you’re doing. Personally I would change your workout routine. Check this out:

Similar body type and she’s been working away on my programs for a year or so.

Couture_Fit

Hi Mike, thank you for the quick reply I really appreciate it! Yes, she has a similar body type, and I believe this is a great milestone to work toward. I do like my body type, it’s just I want more of a cut like she has. How can I go about this? Will you be able to help me? I really appreciate your advice and feedback!

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Great! She’s just practicing what I preach. In fact she’s just about to launch a coaching service. Would you like me to put you in touch with her?

xhulio1994

Hi , i have lost 35 kg , but now i left the run and i make only strength exercise but my skin is very soft , i eant to lose skin but i dont now what to do . can you give me an program to tight skin . sorry for my bad english hope you understand it .

Hi Mike! I read the first edition of “Thinner Leaner Stronger”, and I admire all the research you have been doing. However, I have a pretty big problem: I just hate going to the gym and lift weights. I prefer to attend some classes, which I find less boring. I understand that it is probably less effective than weightlifting, but I was wondering what you think about this kind of workout.
I also have another question. Last year I went to a nutritionist who helped me lose 3 kg. I wasn’t fat, but I had that little annoying belly, and I wanted to just remove it. So at the end of the two months diet plus cardio and toning almost every day, I had lost my belly, but also half of my boobs. Then I moved to US, and I re-gained both my boobs and my belly, damn fast foods… Now I really want to get rid of my 3 kg again, but I DON’T want to lose my boobs. This is a pretty big deal for me. I noticed that you have never covered this topic before, probably because there is nothing much to do about it. I know that there is fat in the breast, and I’ll have to deal with losing some of it. However, I was wondering if you have some advice on how to avoid losing too much from it. For instance, I know that jumping is not good for the breast, and that push-ups help keep it lifted, at least. Do you have some useful hint? I know you don’t have boobs, but hey, maybe you did some research on this also
Thank you very much

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Thanks for reading my book and writing! I really appreciate it.

Classes are good exercise. This is okay.

Unfortunately boobs do shrink as you lose fat. There’s no way around this…

I also lost fat and built the muscle in the picture below without any bulking period. Actually my entire period (almost 2 years) I was eating to loose fat and I wasn’t too much focused on building muscle. I was just training hard every time, knowing the benefits

Most of the time I was in calorie deficit with brief periods of re-feed.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Great job man! Really impressive gains!

Farouk El-Khatib

i’m a beginner (5months) and i’ve gained 35lbs, and I know ive gained a good amount of fats but i also gained around 10-15lbs of muscle. i want to lose fat and gain muscle since i’m still a beginner (in the 6-8 months range) and i can benefit from losing 15 lbs of fat and gain 5 lbs of muscle. i want to ask is it better if i do it over a longer time (3months) so that i work with a low calorie deficit and lose fat fat slowly and then i can move into an intermediate workout (4x a week)?if i do 1.2g P,1g C and 0.2g F that total to 2100 calorie, I’m aiming to take 2700 calorie, how should i change my macros?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Great job! If I were you I’d jump right into a deficit and get rid of the fat and there’s a good chance you’ll build muscle too.

I just bought the book and I’m not understanding something. According to the book and this article, I should be eating about 170 grams of protein which when converted to imperial is 6oz of protein a day. This seems meager to me. What am I doing wrong in the conversion?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

170 grams of protein isn’t 170 grams of meat. Check calorieking.com for the protein content in various amounts of meat.

Adel-Alexander Aldilemi

I was wondering, does poor digestion play a role for gaining gaining muscle? My digestive system isn’t 100 % optimal and I was wondering if it had any impacts on my gains

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Theoretically the better your body can absorb nutrients the better it can use them, you know?

Wafi

Hello there I really hope you find the time to read this and point me in the right direction. when I was about 17 I worked out for about a year…I was naturally very skinny. I gained about 6 kg of lean mass in one year. And back then I was very well defined and it was hard for me to gain mass or fat as I was in my late adolescence and my habits of smoking weed and partying. then I quit lifting for a while…I quit smocking and everything and gained 8 kgs of fat…from 48 to 57..I’m 22 now and I started working out again about a month ago. I can see some awesome progress maybe due to muscle memory or whatever…my chest is getting bigger my arms look better etc. however the big problem is my body fat and I’m starting to get a bart simpson like belly. I ate a lot in the past month increased my calory intake and proteins…I eat about 4 meals a day…I combined chickpeas sprout with rice…rice with bean that’s the base of my diet…add chicken drums to that plus milk and and other food I don’t always keep count of…Right now I’m just doing bodyweight excercise like pull up chin ups shoulder push ups and barbell squats…I do a full body workout with low reps and big compound movements three times a week. Now I don’t do much cardio…

my question was would just implementing like 3 days of 45 min cardio per week be sufficient to loose bodyfat and get to a better place? I don’t aim for the super fitness model body with body fat percentage below 0. but I’d like a nice looking body with flat belly and well defined chest and arms etc…

Thanks a lot!!! much appreciated…Is it recomendable for me to start doing 3 days 45 min session cardio and decrease a meal? because I usuall have 4 meals a day…should I cut it down to 3? I feel calculating each calories is too much of a commitment for me…however I usually follow how my body feels and right I I feel I could eat a little bit less…I will calculate and plan my meal if this approach doesn’t work

Training and diet go hand and hand no point crushing it at the gym while your eating junk. Its a full package deal. So if you looking to drop that fat and tone that body commit. Here is an example of a great prove program

This program is designed to give you that perfect shoulder to waist ratio. Shredding fat getting ripped. Just be dedicated and you will be pumped.

There are so many other training diet programs to choose from.Just need to educate yourself which will work best for you. What are you looking for burning fat or getting ripped building muscle or maybe getting all toned giving you that fit active look. Here's a site worth looking at for the right program to keep you motivated … http://www.goodshealthnfitnessreviews.com/

Giana

Hi Mike,

I’m what you would call “skinny fat”. Probably because I have only been doing yoga sculpt (low weight, high rep) and steady paced runs. I eat about 1200 calories per day. I’m trying to get in shape for cheerleading and am wondering how many calories you think I should be at if I am switching my training to incorporate lifting and HIIT? I am 5’9″ and 125 pounds.

Hi there, I have been following your Thinner, Leaner Stronger book (awesome book btw) and I’m wondering if losing fat and gaining muscle causes the numbers on the scale to remain the same for a while? I know those numbers shouldn’t matter much BUT I’m really heavy for the way I look. I think I either gain muscle really fast or I’m not losing fat. I have one of those fat percentage calculators, but I don’t think it’s reliable. Which fat calculator is best to see my progress? It’s tough to go hit the workouts hard and see minimal progress. I started off at 165 lbs and I’m down to 146 with my goal being 125 and 18% bf. Thank you!

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Thanks for reading my book and writing! I really appreciate it. Anything you could do to spread the word would rock too!

It can yes but eventually you do want to see weight going down. I’ve seen weight stall for as much as the first 4 weeks though despite inches coming off.

Thanks for the quick reply!! That’s so awesome of you to do I have shared The name of your book with a few friends that wanted to know what I was doing for weight loss. I’ll check the links you posted and will repost if I have any other questions. Thanks again!!!

Finally! I have been searching and searching to find the truth..I made a decision, started to lift and eat right but was told multiple times that it is IMPOSSIBLE to gain muscle and burn fat at the same time. I believed it and I gained a lot of muscle but of course my mid-section increased by almost 2 inches… I knew it was too hard to believe. This is my first time on the site and I am looking forward to reading your book. Thanks Mike!

How to build muscle as fast as humanly possible…That’s what we all want to know.Most of us don’t have the genetics of an NFL running back or pro bodybuilder.So it’s not all your fault.I was mixed-up until I got this plan,see my review of it:>bestfitnessandmusclebuilding(dot)c.o.m/ms2<

I have a question: Is it really necessary to take keratin? Can I just take a fat loss supplement like Green tea extract? Thanks. I have been training for 2 weeks, I am already in calorie deficit, Its a slow process, but Already in 2 weeks I feel that my training and diet are working.

Hi Mike,
One question. I have been putting together a daily meal plan based on the macro ratios. And although I hit my caloric intake numbers with ease (within +/-50 cals), I am struggling with hitting my protein numbers. I am missing by 20gr to 30gr per day. Is this Ok, or should I adjust?
thank you for the advise.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Should be fine. Not a big deal.

Coffeeforever

Hi Mike,
I just got your book TLS. I was hoping for some more in depth info on metabolic damage and how to reverse it. Also was wondering if you have any knowledge on marijuana and it’s affect on the body in regards to fat loss and muscle gains.
Thank you!

I don’t know much about MJ’s effects on fat loss but I do know there’s some research that indicates it may impair muscle growth to a degree.

Kevin mccutcheon

Hi, as far as 4-6 reps- is that 3 sets?
Like a set of 3 squats/DL/Press etc… at 6 reps each? Or 3 sets of 4 reps- and once you can do 3 sets of 6 reps increase weight?

Kevin

Hi, as far as the 4-6 rep range- is that 3 sets of squats/DL/Press etc. for 4 reps and once you can do 3 sets of 6 reps increase weight? Or is it just ONE set of 4-6 reps for each exercise?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

I like increasing my weight once I hit 6 reps. So set 1, 6, add weight, get 4 or so next 2 sets, work with that weight next week until 6, go up, etc. If, however, you only get 2 to 3 reps after increasing, drop back and work with that lower weight until you can do TWO sets of 6, and then try to move up again. If that still fails, then work up to 3 sets of 6 and you’ll be fine.

Emanuel Dushaj

Just bought your book as you know; I leave for europe july 27th. Do you recommend I follow this or no?? currently at 14 percent body fat. What do I do to hit 10 percent almost done with insanity

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Thanks for reading my book and writing! I really appreciate it. Anything you could do to spread the word would rock too!

Hi All – sorry if this has already been answered (lots of comments!!), but when we talk about needing a calorie deficit, are we talking about a ‘net’ calorie deficit? I.e. Calories in less calories burned = net calorie consumption.
If my daily calorie consumption to maintain the same weight is 2500 cals, and, per guidance, I need to drop say 20% with a view to burning fat, that would make my new daily calorie consumption 2000 cals. Say I consume 2250 cals in food/drink and do a short cardio session that burns 250 cals, does that mean I have hit my new 2000 cals target? Seems obvious that it should, but it’s not made clear….
Thanks
Matt

Thank you for such a comprehensive look at building a better body, from your books to all of your articles (read most of them by now). I wanted to ask you what your opinion on what my goals should be and how I should proceed with my fitness plan. Below are a few current pictures (unflexed). For a while I thought I was around the 10% range of BF but i’m starting to realize i’m closer to 15-20%. I’m a bit torn between choosing a fat loss approach (80%) with strict dietary/training guidelines to support muscle growth, or a slight calorie surplus (110%). I have been weight training seriously off and on for about 5-6 years now, but college, poor form and dieting left me with lackluster results. I guess my fear lies in stripping off the fat and becoming too lean/thin vs. the fear of putting on more fat. Thanks!

Side note: Just started your 5 day split (M-F) with HIIT training Sun, Tues, and Friday.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Hey hey!

I would guess 14%. You’re definitely not 20%. That said, check this out:

Would you recommend 2 out of 3 fasted HIIT intervals a week along with some fasted training with my caloric surplus to minimize fat gain? (only 2/3 because my third HIIT is right after legs)

Steve Zimmerman

I can’t see my reply so I’m assuming it didn’t go through. I asked if while on my bulk, would you recommend continuing fasted HIIT intervals along with some fasted training? Also, would it be a waste to take supps such as Phoenix/Yohimbine while on a bulk (Usually before fasted exercises)?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

It’s okay to continue doing HIIT while bulking, but not fasted and no more than 2-3 times a week. No reason to take Phoenix or yohimbine either.

You’ve did before that you’ve know skinny guys with upwards of 20lbs less lean mass than you that have to eat 1000-2000cals more that you to gain same amount of lean mass.

I was just wondering does this apply to the opposite end of the spectrum. I’ll give you an example.

A 5ft7″ 150lb guy needs to eat 4000 cal a day to put on muscle(this is his sweet spot, he is adding fat and muscle at a 1:1 ratio). Is his maintenance intake likely to be like 20% less than the 4000? Or could it be all the way down at 2000cals.
Leading into the actual question. If a guy like this has to eat LOADS to gain will he also have to eat more than the average Joe to be in a deficit for a cut? Or does it work the opposite, will he need to be in a larger % deficit than most people to attain the same results.

I’m thinking the answer to this one swings on that persons maintenance level.

Casey Leonard

Hi Mike,

I’m 37 years old, weigh 130 lbs, 19%
bf, 5’8. I was the skinny fat a few months ago, then read your book,
Thinner, Leaner, Stronger, and I am getting there! I never thought I would love lifting so much. I am so glad to not killing myself with cardio with no results.

I lift 3-4 days a week, and do HIITs 3 x week. I am confused on when to go off my calorie deficit, however. According to Katch Mcardle my daily calories are 1400, and I multiplied it by .8 (according to one of your articles). So I’ve
been around 1500 calories a day to lose weight. I’ve gained a good start of muscle, I just want to lose a bit of fat left on my mummy tummy, but the rest of
me just needs more muscle. My macros are set at 40% carbs, 40% protein, 20% fat. Should I just keep going or change anything? Do I need to lose more lbs, or just gain muscle and lose more fat?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Glad you’ve been following the program and getting results! You rock.

If you’re still trying to lose body fat, I recommend that you continue cutting. Once you’ve lost the fat, you can switch to a maintenance or mild surplus and focus on making gains.

I can’t believe you answer each of these yourself. Amazing, and dedicated, that keeps a great and loyal following. Love it.

That exactly the article I used to come up with my calories per day. I’ll just keep going! Where do you think the best bf % for women (non-competing) would be to start maintenance and focusing on building more muscle?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Happy to do it! Thanks for your support!

Cool on the article! When you hit 20% BF, you can start your maintenance or mild surplus.

Minjun

Can anybody recommend a specific HIIT routine or something to help? :/

Thomas Grierson

Hi there

Just want to say that I am new to all of this and pretty out of shape (25 y.o 6ft 224lbs).

I have read a lot of your articles over the past month or so and watch your videos nearly everyday and just want to say thank you for providing correct and honest information! There is so much BS online saying ‘do this, do that’ its hard to know where to start. I got recommended a ketogenic diet to lose weight , I’ve been doing it for a month now and lost 20lbs but I feel awful !

Gonna take your information and see how things go!

All the best.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

YW brother! I’m glad to be able to offer you good information and help you out.

I’m not surprised on how you felt when you went keto haha. Good you got some results though!

To continue towards your goal, I recommend setting up a cutting meal plan. Check this out:

Definitely keep me posted on your progress and write anytime if you have any questions or run into any difficulties. I’m always happy to help.

toshiro t

according to your regimen my plan looks like this:
180g protein/a day (1.2g/lb)
150g carbohydrate (1g/lb)
30g fat (0.2g/lb)
so my focus is to hit those numbers and not count calories at all? i weight 150lbs and am 5’7″. do you have a suggestion of how many calories i should have a day? i’m trying to do everything correctly and am a little confused still. thank you!

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Those macros equal an exact amount of cals (4 cals per gram of protein and carbs. 9 cals per gram of fat).

So you’re overall calorie goal you should definitely hit but with the correct macro breakdown.

I am trying to follow your formula for building muscle and losing fat at the same time, but also calculating the calories per day to be in 20% calorie deficit, but it doesn’t equal to the amount of calories when i calculated the amount of carbs, fat and protein per day to build muscle and lose fat. What is the correct calories, amount of protein, fat, and carbs to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. My numbers are:

Weight in kg=57

Female

24 years old

Height 5’4 = 64 inches

Body fat % probably around 18%

Want to work out around 3-4 days per weeks

by following this in your article

1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight, per day

1 gram of carbohydrate per pound of body weight, per day

0.2 grams of fat per pound of body weight, per day

I came up with this = 68g of protein, 57 g of carb, and 11 g of fat per day , with multiplying it by calories it came out to be only 599 calories per day, is that correct? because when i calculated the total calories per day with the 20% calorie deficit it should be around 1334 calories per day. 599 seems very low with trying to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. Please help!

I did using the match McArdle I got my BMR as 1,390.32 and then i multiplied that by lets say working out 3 hours week and i got
Calories- 1668(TDEE) x .8 calorie deficit = 1334 calories, but i wanted to know based on that, how do i calculate amount of protein, carbs, and fat per day if want to lose fat and build muscle at the same time?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Ahhh okay.

For the macro split, you’d follow the same split you would for cutting, the 40/40/20.

If you’re new to this kind of training, you’ll build muscle while cutting!

Based on Build muscle and lose fat, 1st article using the
4-6 hours a week calculation you mentioned:

I give a very simple formula for
weight loss in my books that results in about a 20% daily
caloric deficit if you’re exercising 4-6 hours per week:

• 1.2 grams of protein per pound of
body weight, per day

• 1 gram of carbohydrate per pound
of body weight, per day

0.2 grams of fat per pound of body weight, per day

based on the second article doing
this formula and using the 4-6 hours exercise calculation on both, the numbers don’t add up in terms of calories, for working out 4-6 hours a week based on calculating BMR and everything I should be eating 1501 calories with the 20% calorie deficit and with calculating from the first article the protein, carbs, and fat calories add up to what I should be eating if I worked out 3 hours a week, which is 1341 calories not 1501 (working out 4 hours a week)

From the second article you mentioned:

1. Use the Katch McArdle formula to
determine how much energy your body burns every day excluding physical activity.
This is known as your basal metabolic rate or BMR.

Try 1501, for a week. Weigh yourself on Sunday at the same time, I recommend before breakfast. At the end of the week and you haven’t lost anything then reassess. You can take 50-100cals of your daily calories.

It’s all about analysing how your body reacts.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Thanks brother!

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

What Steve said!

Jason

Mike, I’m 6’1″, 195, and am trying to both gain muscle (10-15 lbs would be awesome) and lose fat (I’d guess 5-10 lbs max). I don’t gain weight easily, so my question is, would it be better to follow a normal bulk/cut process vs. try to lose the stubborn 5 lbs around my gut while building muscle? Like everyone, I want results “now,” but if I’m going to be achieving the same goal either way, is it less complicated to just do it the normal way?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Unless you’re new to this style of lifting, you can’t build muscle and lose fat at the same time.

I recommend cutting to lose the fat and then going into a clean bulk to build muscle.

Hey, Mike,
I love your articles and podcasts; thanks! I have read in a few places on your site about how much muscle you can expect to (or limited to) gain in the lifecycle of a new lifter – 20 lbs in year 1, etc. It sounds to me that this applies to people who are lean to start and need to bulk. What do you think about people who start out around 25% BF? What would you expect from this body type in the first year of lifting/cutting/reverse dieting?
Thanks,
John

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Thanks John! Good question. If you could end year one with +15 pounds of muscle around 10% body fat, that would be great.

I personally recommend easing yourself into this training, as it is quite common for people to get shin splints. Like I did. Got up one morning without running for a while, ran really hard and fast like this. Have has sore shins for 4 days. Only just healed today.

So my intention is to ease into it to allow my body/fitness to adapt.

Hope this is helpful

Steve

Please note it is ’30second-1minute sprints’

Also I said I will be easing myself into it. I think and Mike can correct me on this, but I think this could be part of the reason why he does some cardio all year long. Because it can be really gruelling every time you have to restart and recondition your body.

Plus there’s loads of health benefits to cardio.

Steve

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Thanks for your helps Steve!

I keep up the cardio because I enjoy it, it’s healthy and keeps me burning more cals.

It is definitely tough to start doing cardio when you haven’t been though!

Giulia Cap

Thank you for your quick response. Well I go a high intensity interval class where we do around 10 station, each station has 4 exercises and we do 2 rounds in 40 seconds. We do some cardio exercises such as jump squats, ropes etc but we also lift weights. I’ve been there for almost a year and I guess I could say I eat pretty good but I haven’t seen the results I want. In starting to read thinner leaner stronger and this week I pushed myself a little more with the weights doing chess press, chest flys etc with 25s (before I did 15) I have to say I feel better but I’m just not sure if I should lift heavy in these classes or just go to a regular gym. I’m 5’7 and I weight around 135

Steve

Read the book, it will have EVERYTHING you need to know in it served on a platter for the taking!

Prepare to have many myths and lies debunked. I personally felt like the shutters had been taken of my eyes after I read BLS. Lol I look back on the ‘bro science’ I used to teach people thinking it was true.

Good luck on your journey!

Steve

Also if you want to see some of the results I’ve been getting from Mikes advice, scroll up a couple of comments. I’ve attached pics.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

I recommend completely splitting up the HIIT and weight lifting.

You should lift heavy 8-10 reps when lifting and have no weights involved when doing HIIT.

I am 167cm, 36 years old. I do not know what is my body fat. based on the image, how much body fat is mine really? I am guessing 27-28%, correct?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Yeah that sounds about right.

andy

This seems to be the perfect explanation for what I’m dealing with. I was once a bit bigger than I am now but slacked off for a year… or 2. I’m back on it for 5 weeks now with 3 – 4 sessions per week. No cardio, just weights. Easy for first week but now I’m working to fail, 4-5 sets of 8, 6, fail. Eating 5-6 times per day snacking on nuts. Have lost 3kg. Visible muscle growth and visible fat loss. Thing is, I’m trying to gain weight so what am I doing wrong? There’s no room for more food! When not training I’m steady around 73kg. Now 70.

Hey Mike my name is Beau, I really appreciate the unbiased scientific based information. I’ve been following the BLS outline for almost 2months with great results, I look forward to sending you some before and after pictures when I’m done my cut.

Currently I’m cutting to get to 10%, but I seem to be getting some newbie gains in the process which is a nice bonus.

I have to be honest that after reading your articles and book I don’t completely understand the science/philosophy behind doing a cut phase and then a bulk phase. Wouldn’t it be mathematically similar to Cut to about 10%, and then bulk for 2-3 days a week and cut for 3-4 days a week for the entire year VS going through cycles that are months long(for example,) Say in the end I ended up cutting for 20 days and bulking for 20 days in both scenarios, wouldn’t the results then be similar? Obviously there are a lot of variables to consider.

I recall reading in BLS that hormonally it is better to just get the cutting over with and return to maintenance, but wouldn’t it be similar results in the long run, just having the advantage to remain a similar body fat percentage while you make gains.

I only ask cause I’ve noticed that with 1 good cheat meal a week that puts me at maintenance for the day, and perhaps a little over, I end up feeling a lot better and performing better at the gym. WIth absolutely no negative impact on my phsique. So it just leads me to think, why not be at a 10% surplus 2x a week if the fat gain is minimal/negligent?

Who knows maybe I’m over complicating it and just need some more calories in general, but I thought I’d ask anyways.

Again thanks for the advice and your personal input is appreciated, sorry for the novel it wasn’t planned.

I look forward to trying legion supplements in the future.

-Beau

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Thanks Beau! Glad to hear you’re doing well!

Theoretically “mini-bulks” and “mini-cuts” should work well but they just don’t. It takes time to gain “momentum” on a bulk and once you’re in that “groove,” you want to keep it going for as long as possible. Going into a deficit just throws a wrench into that.

It’s smart to take one day per week and eat around maintenance (when cutting). Many people like to make it a refeed:

Hi all…..
I am currently in a fat loss plateau (3 weeks minor weight change, no fat loss). I understand the advice around breaking plateaus (increase cardio/HIIT, lift heavier, etc.), but at the same time I wanted to re-assess the fundamental principle of achieving a calorie deficit each day, as I realise getting this wrong can cause big problems.

The principle of calorie deficit I understand, but I wanted to make sure I was selecting the correct ‘activity level’ when taking my BMR and multiplying it up (i.e. BMR x 1.35 for Sedentary, BMR x 1.6 for moderate activity, etc.). I have always used the ‘sedentary’ multiplier but I am concerned this may now be too low and possibly sending my body into minor ‘starvation’ mode where it is reluctant to give up its fat stores.

Here is my general situation: Male, 37 years old, 5’ 11”, 198lbs, just below 20% body fat, office job but exercise 8 times per week. The exercise consists of 4 resistance sessions with weights, 4 cardio sessions, some steady state,
some HIIT. One day complete rest. If I am performing this level of exercise (and have now been doing for around 8 or 9 weeks), is sedentary still the correct activity level when working out daily calorie intake? Depending which calculation you use, I calculate my daily calorie requirement as about 2600 calories to maintain the same body weight (1900 calorie BMR x 1.4). In order to burn fat, I therefore have set a target net daily intake of 2100 calories. I will make adjustments to my exercise programme in order to break the plateau, but obviously need to get this fundamental piece right. Any advice welcomed!
Thanks
Matt

Matt

Would also be good to get your view on what BF % you think I am at from the photos.

Thanks. I think I have my calories in nailed, so I’ll play a little with increasing weights and cardio, see what happens. What are your thoughts on activity level? If I exercise about 6 hrs per wk I’ll need to slightly increase TDEE? Also, be great to have you estimate my BF % based on photos below. Thanks again.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Great. Yeah 6 hours per week…I’d probably go with 1.5 and see how it goes. May need to go slightly lower.

Brian Giffin

Mike lack of sleep is a big issue for me.
I work 24-7, get up at 4:30 am cuz it’s the only time I can get it and the rest is spent on my wife and two kids. This basically equates to about 6-to 6 1/2 hrs a night. I started taking rhodiola cuz
I heard it reduces stress and lowers cortisol levels. Can you confirm? Do you know of other supliments that help with this?

Hi Mike, if it is hard to build muscle with calorie deficit, how is it possible to progressive overload with weight training? Does all the progression come from nerve improvement?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Yeah, it’s only really workable if you’re new to the heavy compounds style of lifting.

When you’re new to lifting, you can go for several months making gains on a deficit. Your nerves do develop to fire harder, but you also build muscle.

Beyond the beginning stages of lifting, to build muscle you need to be at maintenance cals or higher.

Gary

If not building muscle, how is it possible to progressively increase weight?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

You can develop your nervous system to fire harder which would result in increased strength but not muscle.

To do this, you’d work in very low rep ranges (1-3 reps).

Belein

Hey Mike. First of all, thanks a lot for your great article.

I do have a question though. What do you think about doing cardio for 10-15 mins right after you wake up in the morning? Can you fasten the process of losing fat and maintaining muscle? I just can’t find a proper answer to this question.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

No problem!

Yes, that cardio can will definitely accelerate fat-loss. Especially if it’s HIIT and you do it fasted. Check this out:

Love this article, Mike! I am going to try to use your protein/carb/fat formula, as I am having a hard time loosing the fat in my stomach area. I am 52 yrs of age, 5’2″, 119 lbs., (I have not lost any weight from when I started 21 weeks ago) and for the most part, been steadily active the majority of my adult life. 21 weeks ago, I read an article, with pics, about a woman in her late forties who looked fantastic and decided to challenge myself to 20 weeks of 4-6 days of: boxing, strength training, HIIT, weightlifting, cardio, core work and try to carve out some abs. Not working!
I have made a remarkable difference since then and now I want more! Although I have lost a lot of fat, (even in my stomach area), and gained muscle everywhere, my abs consist of……well…..uhmm…… a two pac
Is it possible to tighten the loose skin on my stomach, as well?
I eat extremely healhty: fruits, veggies, fish, lean meat, nuts, and I use a whey protein powder for my post lifting shake. (Although, I do still drink alcohol, and I love our local Mexican restaurant which we go to once a week)
Can you possibly have a solution for me?
I’m not sure what else to do.
Thanks for listening, Katy

Hi Mike, i just come across your website , i have to say it is great.same as the article above, although i have question. I have been looking for an answer on many websites for last few days but information i have read so far are all confusing. Some say this otters say that. Question is what should i eat as pre workaout snack? (like 30 min. Before) i know what to eat/drink just after , read your other article , but what about a meal like 1h later problem is i do late workout ,here is what i do
weight and cardio 3 days a week between 18;00 to 19;30
And martial arts ( what could classify as cardio) 2 days a week from 19;30 to 21;15.
I have been doing this for last 2 months
But i don’t see any results ;(
Thanks

Hi Mike, just bumped into your website and had me immersed reading it. I am a tad confused though. I started some serious fat loss and training just over three weeks ago. My waist was 36 (now 34) on a 5’9 frame. Although I look fairly good for a 57 year old I decided to embark on a 21 day carb cycling regime as its all the rage in England. On my 2nd cycle now and have made significant muscle growth whilst on high protein low carb diet. My current intake is just over 1200 calories – 645 Protein,157 Carb and 402 fat. I have been told that you simply cant burn alpha fat unless you bring carbs way down to kick start fat burning. Appreciate some guidance on this. Currently on 2 week High Protein then switch to 1 week High carb. Thanks Kevin

Cheers Mike, very informative and useful. Will up the carbs to increase calorific intake

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

No problem. Sounds good!

KateT

Hello! I am about to order your book, but had a couple questions first. I am a 31 yo female, 5’4″, 120 lbs. I’ve recently lost 20 lbs through cardio, and now im skinny fat.I know nothing about weightlifting, although my gym has a great selection of free weights and machines. Does the book explain how to the exercises? Also, how important is the diet aspect? I do not have a lot of freedom in diet, as I have hypothyroidism and a B12 deficiency. Thanks in advance.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

No problem.

Yes, the book lays out everything you need to know about diet and training.

The diet is important to get results. All you have to do is hit your target cals and macros. Check this out:

BLS is for beginner and intermediate lifters. BBLS is for intermediate to advance lifters.

You would start with BLS then after 1-3 years and certain bench marks are hit, you could move on to BBLS.

darvens

Hey Mike I’m 14 years old and I read ur article my problem is that my body tends to hold on a bunch of fat but I have a skinny frame and if I lose more pounds I’ll just be scrawny my goals are to gain muscle and be around 15%-20% bf I weigh about 180 pounds and I’m 5’9 I can’t really go on a strict diet because of finiacial issues and I was wondering if u can give me advice

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Hey man!

I wouldn’t recommend any serious fat loss dieting at your age because it can mess with your development.

If I were you I would focus on eating plenty of nutritious foods every day and exercising regularly. Sports are great at your age of course.

darvensbox

Thanks sir I appreciate I have one More question do You Think I Have gyno?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

A little but you should be okay if you get lean.

James Dickson

Hello Mike, glad I found your site, My problem is that I’m a truck driver, can’t sleep anymore than 4hrs straight before I wake up, Body wise I have no problem with mass, I actually like my size except my stomach, I guess because I sit all day and night driving that’s where all the fat goes, don’t know what to do to fix this problem. I work out 4x a week, 6’3 260lbs, inches not pounds my motto.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Thanks James!

Fortunately we can just get you on a proper diet and you’ll lose weight without any issues. 4 x per week is plenty of exercise.

Hi Mike, love reading your articles. I find them really helpful especially this one. I am 20 years old and weigh 180 pounds and I am 5’11. I go to the gym and hit the weights 4-5 times a week. I want to lose my belly fat and get a six pack while building muscle at the gym. I normally have 4 meals a day, cereal and eggs for breakfast and the other 3 I have protein on half my plate, veggies as one quarter and rice as another. Is this a good meal diet to go with to achieve my goals? Moreover I wanted to ask how shall I lose my belly I started going on jogs 3-4 times a week, shall I carry on doing this? Also shall I do my cardio in the mornings a coupe hours before my gym workout or shall I do them in the late evenings, many hours after my workout? Sorry for the long message, in summary I want to lose belly fat and get abs and gain muscle at the gym. Thanks Mike.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

As to the food you’re eating. It seems good!

To be sure of exactly how much to eat, you should set up a meal plan so you know exactly how many cals, protein, carbs and fat you should eat. To set that up, check this out:

Hey Mike, great articles – I’m 49 yo, already lean 5-10, 150 lbs. but have a slight belly – it looks bigger than it really is because the rest of my body is thin. My goal is to gain about 10 lbs. of muscle but also lose the belly fat – It’s a real challenge since I’m essentially trying to gain weight but lose my belly at the same time. Would you recommend I follow one of your strength training for programs for bulk with maybe 1 day a week of HIT training?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Building muscle and losing fat at the same is possible if you’re new to this style of lifting. You would start with a cut though. You can set up your cutting meal plan here:

Thanks for the response and tips! Question – since my goal is a net weight gain, will a cutting meal plan be counterproductive? I don’t want to lose weight right now. Ideally, I would gain 15 lbs. of muscle and lose 3 lbs. of belly fat (just an estimate). My thought would be bulk first then cut. What do you think? Totally agree on the HIT though….just not sure how often I should do it. Guess I’ll start with 1 day a week and increase if necessary.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

It depends. What you should start with (a bulk or cut) depends on what your BF% is right now. Do you know?

Just ordered some calipers per your recommendation so I’ll find out soon enough – will post once I measure.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Sounds good!

Pic

Took multiple readings and seemed to get no more than 15%…think I did it right. That said, it’s all around my waist…rest of me is lean. Remember I’m topping out at 150 and am 5-10. Starting to show a little more muscle and have been on your 4-6 rep split program 3 days a week with 2 days of 20 min. high intensity sprints….on my 2nd week.

YF

Hi Mike,
Great articles and scientifically-informed advice. I heard rumors that creatine use leads to premature hair loss. Any thoughts on this? Are there any studies to substantiate this? Are there any downsides to using creatine?

Mike,
Im 5’5″ 180lbs at about 25% bf. i guess you could say im skinny/fat. I’ve been working out on/off for awhile now without anything really to show for it and just started following your plan in BLS for 5 day training/ about an hour a day. My question(s) is would a Body Recomp benefit someone like me? i really want to lose all my belly fat and possibly build on the little muscle i have. Or should i just follow a cut/bulk plan for that? just like everyone else, i wanna do this as fast as possible. And if i wanted to add HIIT, do i have to add/adjust my calories?
thanks

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

You’ll be able to build muscle while cutting if you’re new to this style of lifting.

If you are, you just need to follow a cutting meal plan and follow the BLS lifting program.

What do you think?

Chris

I just signed up for your newsletter and read the How to Build Muscle and Lose Fat.
My question is about the heavy rep range. Every time I go there my left elbow gives me fits. I wrap it,use msm glucosamine chondroitin, take fish oil and am careful to exercise proper form and still it flares up. I am 6’3″ 225 and am at about 12-15% body fat
any suggestions as to avoiding the elbow pain?

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Thanks!

Definitely need to avoid pain and are you dealing with any injuries?

Aleksandra Fuentes

This is a good one too try it out
99936pmhmx3o8y4lh0brpqdqb9.hop.clickbank.net/

LJM409

Hi Mike
I read a lot of your books and follow your blog. I have run my numbers all different ways and get some that are just slightly different. Trying to figure out the best approach. I was an athlete at one time, ran/lifted weights. I am now 50, 4’11” and have ballooned up to 140 with the onset of menopause and some prescriptions I was on (no longer taking). The weight has stayed with me and I can’t get it off. Mostly belly fat. Following your program I will lift heavy about 5 days a week with the prescribed HIIT for cardio. I am having a hard time figuring the correct ratio of my macros.

Should I work on the 40/40/20 (140/140/28) or if I use some of your other info that give me slightly different calories and higher fat 37/34/29 (130/120/44)?

I am also going to try and get back to fasted workouts. I use to do this a long time ago and now just have to get use to it again. As far as supplements, will I see benefits if I only take the HMB/Creatine and not the pre-workout? Pre-workout usually give me some issues.

Thank you. I will stick to those ratios and see how it goes. Will also try the Forge.

Do You think the amount of calories given my height, age and weight are okay to start with? Starting with a deficit. I just worry about eating to little given my under eating for so long. The formula has me at 1372.

I like it overall. I had it in one of my products but had to remove it because it just tasted way too bad.

Tj Hogan

Hi Mike,

I just finished reading your book, and I tick all the boxes and still cant get under 15% body fat I weight train 5 days a week and run 5 miles every morning before my first meal I’m 5,10 and 75kgs. And just can push and break that 15% barrier my calories intake is 1500 it’s getting very frustrateing,

Hi Mike thanks to get back I’ve did my research weeks ago about sodium balance for water weight etc and I’m eating very clean I even switched from chicken to Turkey as it just bit more leaner I’m not moving from 15% my workouts are very intense and so are my runs. I also don’t eat cheat meals and don’t have gluten, or have extra sugar in my diet,

http://www.etsy.com/shop/GypsysClosetVintage Cherith Corvidae

Hi Mike,
I just ordered your book for women today and cant wait for it to get here!!! Having a hard time with getting protein without going over my calories? I’m 45, 5’9″ and 152 pounds. Need to lose fat but want muscles. And the lower my weight the smaller and flatter my bum gets. I’m not new to lifting, in fact its the only thing that has ever worked for me for weight loss (and I have tried it all). Been on a two year break from it though… How am I supposed to create a deficit yet get all the protein I need? And build my glutes. All other muscles respond quickly for me.

Hey Mike
I just got your BLS book and I’m really excited to get started. I was wondering what your thoughts are about doing the T25 Insanity workouts (25 minutes) for a higher intenisty cardio workout in the morning and then doing the BLS program in the evening? Would that be too much cardio to be doing while also doing the BLS program. I’m about 20-25 lbs overweight right now and my main goal, since there are a couple months of summer left, is to lose weight as fast as possible to get back below 10% BF. Im 30 years old, 5′ 11″ and weight about 225. I’ve done the Insanity workouts before and had awesome results with them. Im just wondering if doing the BLS while doing that much cardio would be a good idea?
Thanks for your help!

http://www.muscleforlife.com/ Michael Matthews

Thanks for reading my book and writing! I really appreciate it. Anything you could do to spread the word would rock too!

I think it’s a good HIIT routine and it would work well for you. That said, I wouldn’t do it more than 3 to 4 times per week in addition to your weightlifting.

Jeremy

Mike,

Great read! I love your articles, they’re all very in-depth and high quality. I just recently started my own website http://www.studentsfitness.com to show how full time students (like myself) and busy individuals can stay fit despite their busy schedules.

I was wondering if you are accepting guest posts or sharing of articles on your website or social media platforms. I finished a 4000+ word in depth article describing “10 changes you need to make to lose stubborn fat”. It’s up on my blog.

Let me know what you think!

Thanks,

Jeremy

Lisa

Hello! Im 5’3 weighing at 113 pounds. I am trying to gain muscle in my legs and lose fat in my stomach. I have been training for about 6 months now and can really see the grpwth in my arms. I workout my legs twice a week and i am currently eating 1600 calories P 140 C 160 F 45. According to the formula that is a bit too much for my size but im actually losing weight with this amount. I dont know if i should keep eating at this ount or move up or down. Please help!

America

So what happens after your body adjust to the macros in 2-3 weeks of loosing fat gaining muscle? Do you increase carbs? I haven’t been able to figure that out my body is complicated to figure out

dante`afk

Hi Mike, quick question:

I am using my fitness pal to track my calories for cutting, it gave me 1860kcal per day to lose weight.

I am 6’2″ and weigh about 190lb, trying to get that cut look. I am working out 3 days a week with heavy compound exercises in the 6-8 rep range and do also 3x30minutes HIIT cardio per week.

On training days I eat about 2600kcal and on non training 1860kcal.

Do you think I should eat more?

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